Originally Posted by esshup
With running cattle on the property, you really, really should keep the cattle fenced out of the ponds since the smaller pond feeds those two other ponds. The cattle disrupt the banks (which isn't the biggest problem) but the biggest problem is the pee and poop that they will introduce to the ponds, as well as the sediment that they will stir up as they walk in the water. All those will transfer to the big pond and will make maintaining it very difficult.

Understood and agreed. I've already discussed with my wife the need to fence off the two ponds on the west (or the combined lake if we go that route) and keep them separate from the cattle. The pond dams are all damaged to the point of needing significant repair - as a result of cattle traffic. The smaller pond on the top right has two overflows - one into the other two ponds and one into a low draw that runs due south of the pond. I plan to eliminate the west overflow so that pond cannot flow into the other two and will keep that pond for cattle watering. The other two will be the fisheries.