Pond Boss Forums Thread Like Summary - DIY Dredge suggestions/experience?

Hi,
Appreciate all the knowledge and expertise in this forum!

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to dredge a body of water of muck/mud?
Based on some threads in the forum, was thinking about using a trash pump to suction and another smaller pump to spray water to agitate and slurry the mud/muck.

I have a 2 acre drainage pond/lagoon to manage. Over the years, it has been filling up with muck & silt, creating shallower water allowing for weeds to take over now that its shallow enough, and the die back each winter is creating more muck which feeds this cycle. Weeds are pickerel weed, pond weed, phragmites.

I have islands of pickerel weed that trap more debris and sediment and they continue to grow over take the lagoon.

I have been beating back the weeds with combo of herbicides and tarping method, but wanted to start tackling the muck. Goal is to deepen the water in some areas so weeds won't grow back so readily, and have more access for fishing boats. Water depth is 2 feet in shallows up to 6ft.

Was looking at one of these trash pumps:
https://www.harborfreight.com/lawn-...ll-trash-water-pump-23000-gph-56718.html

Also saw these:
https://piranhapump.com/mini-dredges
But cost is too high at 13k quoted.

Has anyone tried using a trash pump to pump out mud and muck from a pond? Any lessons learned, tips, or design suggestions?
Wanted to try it out on a small patch of where there is a lot of muck first.
-Ray

Fastest way is mechanical removal.

DIY dredge is not going to remove the amount you want to in the timeframe you want.

I agree with you that a dragline would probably be the best tool for the job.

I have thought that a young single guy could drive around the country with a dragline and get a high pay rate for a few years. (If he could figure out a way to get referrals from all of the pond management companies.)