It has been fascinating reading for a year or so and now it is my turn to jump in the pond fray. Like so many before me the questions seem to be the same and everyone is so helpful, if no one minds I will throw out a couple of mine.

We are purchasing a small 13.11 acre plot in Green County Wisconsin. My dream is to build a pond for swimming and fishing. I have a topo map with 10 foot drops (tried to include it but was unable maybe next time if I can figure how. The Watershed is strong but much of it seems to drain just outside my property. I did ask the potential neighbors if I could buy a section of their property and while they were open to the idea they would not commit. I am getting soil samples from Green County Land and Soil. Looking at the proposed site:

1. I was hoping to build a 2-3 acre but am concerned about
water supply/watershed. Using a topo map or anything else,
how do calculate pond size?
2. Since I am new to all of this, is it easier to build a
smaller pond say 1 acre and then expand later?
3. Can anyone recommend a dirt person in Green County,
Wisconsin? I did get a list from the County but no one they
recommended.

Thanks for the inputs. I can not take possession of tha land until the corn is harvested in November so I have all winter to read and plan.

Hello, Kurt, and welcome to the Forum!


Legitimate concern - pond size supportable by runoff depends on factors including watershed size, rainfall, evaporation loss, leakage, and watershed cover type (think forest vs. grassland vs. parking lot).
a. See the local NRCS office. If you're lucky they have the time and experience to go over the topo map with you and figure this out.
b. Post that topo map and provide other info as available. We have some excellent topo readers here who can help figure out pond size.
c. Hire a pond consultant.


This is perfectly feasible and has been done more than once. You would have to move more dirt (and spend more) for an expandable 1 acre pond than for a fixed one acre pond, if you want to raise the dam later and increase it's size. There may be other routes to do this, but that's the way I'm familiar with via Bob Lusk's stories in "Perfect Pond ... Want One?" (Buy a copy - best $35 you'll spend on your new pond!)


Open for Cheesehead Pondmeisters ...


I recommend getting ground cover (grasses) planted ASAP after corn harvest, to cut erosion on you new land.

Could anyone explain how to attach a PDF file and I will include the topo map?

I think your best bet with a pdf is to link to where it is stored on-line.

This is how Dwight Bremer does it for the bi-weekly pond update (example).

I hope this makes it through. We are looking at building a 2-3 acre pond but may start smaller. Watershed is strong but just runs off the property lines.


What do you all think? Is this possible?

thanks
kurt

I need a little help understanding the info. According to the paperwork, the soil is:

SoC2 Sogn silt loam 2 to 12 percent slope, moderately eroded
22% sand 55% silt 18-23-27 % clay

DsB Downs silt loam, heavy substratum 2 to 6 percent slopes
7% sand 70 % silt 20-24-27& clay.



My guess is that it is not great for retaining water so something will need to be used to line the pond, clay, bentonite etc...

What do you all think?

kurt

The clay content is fine. It is above the minimum that one would seek for water retention. I don't see a deal breaker on your soils....yet. Mike Otto would take one look and letcha know if the silt content will trump your clay performance. 22% sand is another question....?

Am I understanding this correctly? The "D" (light color) soil is favorable while the "B" (dark color) may not be?




Map unit symbol Map unit name Rating Acres in AOI Percent of AOI
DsB Downs silt loam, heavy substratum, 2 to 6 percent slopes B 0.7 5.0%
DuC2 Dunbarton silt loam, 6 to 12 percent slopes, moderately eroded D 2.7 19.5%
DuD2 Dunbarton silt loam, 12 to 20 percent slopes, moderately eroded D 0.1 0.6%
DwB2 Durand silt loam, 2 to 6 percent slopes, moderately eroded B 2.0 14.3%
SoC2 Sogn silt loam, 2 to 12 percent slopes, moderately eroded B 7.1 51.1%
SoE2 Sogn silt loam, 12 to 30 percent slopes, moderately eroded B 1.3 9.4%



Thanks for any input. I just ordered the "Perfect Pond" because I want one.

D is best. It will have a higher runoff rate then B.

Most of my property is D and C so it doesn't take much to get the water flowing.

Here is the read out from Green County on the soil from the wells dug in the area.

Edmund soil from 0"-7" is a silt loam.... from 7"-16" it is a silty clay.... from 16"-60" it is partly shattered dolomite bedrock

Sogn soil from 0"-9" is a silt loam.... from 9"-14" it is disintegrated dolomite....from 14"-60" it is platy dolomite

Downs soil from 0"-18" is a silt loam.... from 18"-41" is a silty clay loam....from 41"-49" is a silt loam....from 49"-60" is a massive silt loam (wet)

None of this means much to me. I work with kids all day at the local YMCA so any help is again appreciated. I know this may be the 64 dollar question but is any of this stuff I have posted a deal breaker for the pond?

I would like to build a dam and would bring clay if needed
thanks everyone

Ask the people who gave you the report.
IS THIS MTERIAL GOOD FOR A POND??

Look around at the other ponds in the area see how well they hold water, that is also a indicator of what yours will do.

Call the equipment dealers and find out who pays their bills, that will help with the dirt guy-- match it up with the county list.

I received Bob's book yesterday and have for the most part have finished it. The book scared me a little concerning how much must be done just in preparation. On the other hand, the book gave me hope that it can be done so the dream is still alive.

We will close on the land next month and Monday I meet with a builder/excavator.

thanks for all inputs and it will be fun to see what happens.

It's much easier and cheaper to do everyting right BEFORE the water fills the hole than to fix problems later!

Starting the dream update...

First of all I am very grateful for this site as it has provide so much information, insight and guidance. Over the past 4 months or so since I first started looking at Pond Boss, I have learned more than I could have imagined to ask as I red and re-red answers to my questions and answers to many other questions. I am sure countless people have said this but let me add to the list, thank you to all the moderators and other participants who have provided the answers and sometimes timely questions. I would mention Bob, Mike, Dave but would be afraid that I have left out many key people. Have I kissed up enough?

My wife is also very pleased with the site not that she has ever been on it or read anything but the more I communicate here on Pond Boss the less she has to hear me telling her.

I met Bruce Walholtz of Cedarcreek Consulting at the land site last Monday. He is fantastic and on board for helping put everything together. It was raining and muddy so we did not walk the entire plot. Where I thought the pond would go before seeing the land without the corn crop is not nearly the best place, in fact it not even an option with the way the land rolls. As we walked up and over a small ridge, there sat ‘the spot’ or as Bob writes inthe book "'Ahaa...there it is. Two hills flaring back to a perfectly sloping meadon with no trees."' There is was in the middle of the field lay a nice basin or depression in the land, situated between the ridge we just crossed and another ridge located about 200 feet across. There two ridges created a nice and large basin with one side needing the dam and the other slowly running uphill to the top of the land. The drop from top of ridges to bottom of basin is between 15-20 feet. I am sure my description does not make sense but the jist is that we were both surprised, pleasantly, to see such a wonderful and borderline perfect spot.

Next week we start putting together a step list with a time table. This is really exciting and fun.

I apologize for no pictures too rainy (more I am too stupid to figure out how to use the camera) but next entry I will post some.

Thanks again for reading and listening so to speak.

I would say your dream is awake and coming to fruition. It is a blessing of sorts to have the natural topography that defines a good pond zone, even before excavation. It's luck to have it and not even know it. This is the karma part of your dream; it bodes well.

Are there any water wells within a half mile or so? The Illinois DNR will have well drilling records that will detail the soil types encountered all the way down. If the wells are nearby (within 1000 feet or so), it will help a little with a snapshot of what might be underfoot at your crib.

Just a quick update on the project and photo. We went out last Monday to shot some elevations and dig some test holes. The digging proved to be more disappointing than expected. We knew there was limestone from the survey and well info but the extent of the rock was far more than expected or desired. The plot is only 13 acres so there is not alot of room. The rock can be used to build an extension to the road and for the driveway and to rip rap but with so much rock there may be very little clay.


As the saying 'you can build a pond just about anywhere as long as you have enough m money". I know there are options but they start to move the cost arrow upwards.

Excavator is working up a design and cut and fill print out.

Suggest once you get the facts call Mike Otto. You need an expert in pond design with wide knowledge not just a dirt guy.

Just a quick obituary for my pond dream.

I received a letter from County Zoning and then spoke with Adam Wiegel. The pond itself has been approved since we are not selling any of the topsoil or rock. It is not considered a mining operation. Originally the pond was denied.

Unfortunately for the pond, due to an ordinance that was initiated 2006 which only allows a private drive to service 6 lots and the private drive now serves 6, (6th was approved just two weeks ago) my approval to build would be 7th and therefore no building over 100 sq feet will be allowed to be built until the road is taken over by township or re-built by the home owners to township or county specs. Since I am the last owner looking to build (there are other plots but they are being used still for farming and not subject to the ordinance), I am the only one being left out. The land is nice and everything but a large part of owning it was the opportunity to build a house in a number of years.

There is a slim chance. Adam stated that I need to re-visit the driveway with Harvey Mandel, Township Chairman. If Township will approve a driveway permit to no approved building than I can go back to County Zoning and maybe work on something there. I have extreme doubts that any of that would happen. I have a feeling that it is agencies just bouncing me around.

Again, at this point the project has grounded to a halt. Unless better news is forthcoming, I am at a standstill. I could still build the pond with no quarantee that I would ever be able to build a pole barn or house. I will see what Harvey says as soon as I can call him.

I am sure that I should have asked this specific question at some point but I placed confidence in the realtor to check out these things. The one or main condition of purchase was being able to build a house at some point in time. Yes, had I placed my request to zoning in 2 weeks earlier then it would have been approved and the other land owner would have been frozen out which still does not seem fair.

very frustrating.

That's not good news. Here's hoping that you get approved for a house without any further setbacks.

Is there a Zoning Board of Appeals? Fish Wife has about 30 years of experience with Zoning Boards and Planning Commissions, and people are always appealing lot splits, spaghetti ranches, and flag lots that don't meet code. Sometimes they are approved anyway.

I think I would try again. You represent property tax dollars.

The Realtor may be able to help if you explain the situation to him regarding little things like fraudulent misrepresentation. I'm betting he understands zoning laws and your desire to build something other than a pond. Realtors generally know the members of the zoning board.

A couple of things come to mind, all protective, were your concerns in the contract? house, pond, the 7th owner roadway house clause? Have you consulted a local real estate attorney? Has the deal closed? Regarding the Realtor, was he/she aware or should have been aware of the restrictions? 6 lots sounds like a subdivision and a subdivider, what were their claims, advertisements, brochures? What were the other 6 buyers understandings?
I mention all of this because it looks like a legal situation, which suggests legal help, asap.

Thanks for the inputs. I have written County Zoning, Chairman of the Jefferson Township and my neighbors to see what avenues of pursuit I have before me.

I have spoken with my realtor but I think or at least it feels that eveyone from the realtor side is just covering themselves as no one is openly stating that they know or knew about this ordinance that when into affect in 2006. I was or am hoping to avoid a legal issue or fight.

The last two weeks have been tough with all bad news from the heavy amounts of rock in the land to the zoning issues. I am hoping that this week things will turn back the other way.

Being pond-delirious, I have already built 5 PVC fish attractor trees. My wife is not happy having these trees in the garage and no pond in which to place them. She has put a moratorium on building any more trees. What will I do all winter long?????

Again, thanks for all the input.

Since you can't build trees, you could build cribs, cages, porcupine fish attractors, etc.

Sorry to hear about your trial and tribulations Kurt. Battling a local zoning/building department is no fun (been there, done that). Here's what I suggest you do with your winter.

1. If your county has all of the relevant zoning ordinances on line then down load and read them over and over. If not go to the office and obtain a copy of them. Determine exactly what the ordinance says and look for any exemption and/or appeals process.

2. If you can, get statements from your neighbors stating that they have no objection to this additional driveway.

3. Attempt to find out if your county has granted any variance to this regulation in the past and what the circumstances for the exemption was (our county has the minutes on line, I read all of the minutes of county meetings and found evidence that they had granted several variances to the issue that arose at my property).

4. Find legal council that specializes in this area of the law and pay for a consultation. This does not mean that you are going to litigate, it just will provide you with additional information.

Just a few rambling thoughts.

Decorate those PVC trees for Christmas!

P.S. Get some "reel weed" for garland.

I feel for you and your family Kurt. I'll add you to my morning prayers.

Having just spent 26 months in litigations, and a four day trial in Circuit Court, I am burned out. Did not win, but I did not loose, it was more of a push.

My law firm made two mistakes at trial, and two witnesses that were subpoenaed to testify never showed up. I could have charged them, but decided to let go.

Lawyer sent me a final balance bill a bit over 58K, while I already gave him 37K.

I just sent him a copy of the contingency fee agreement we had.

According to this agreement, all I had to pay for was costs like postage, court costs, witnesses, and the like. I should get a refund!!!

Haven't heard from him in months, also, the lawyer handling my case was fired from the firm a few days after the Bench Trial.

For all of you lawyers out there, I have not got one thing in my heart against lawyers. We sometimes need your help, make sure you do your best.

Even though, it is a journey to recovery after all is said and done.

I wish the best for you and your family.
J.

J - as one of those lawyers, I totally appreciate your sentiment. Sometimes it's hard to have as much of an emotional interest in our clients' cases when we have a large number of things pending at any one time. But, one thing I learned from parents who taught me the meaning of respect is that no matter how busy I might be, I treat every one of my clients' matters with the same level of importance that they assign to it. It's normally the biggest thing in their lives at the time we represent them, and I make sure that those in my firm know to treat it with the same respect and importance that our clients do. It's a great lesson and one that I certainly appreciate you commenting on here. Sorry to hear about what sounds like a very difficult situation you've just wrapped up.

And so as to no totally hijack the thread, Kurt, as the others have said, I'm really sorry to hear about the issues you're dealing with and agree with JHAP that you should at least consult with a reputable real estate attorney and get fully advised as to the options available to you as you decide how to move forward. Best of luck.

Thanks JBK, and everyone. What a terrible journey for JBK. There are probably more stories like that out there.

I spoke with the neighbors where the land is located and they are in the same boat. They brought the extra plots to sell in the future for their retirement. They can not build on the other two lots either. We are hoping to set up a face to face with the county zoning and township chairman.

After talking with my wife we are moving in a slightly different direction. We do not need to build a barn, garage or pole barn for the most part. We are looking at buying a used pop up trailer to leave at the the land for when we visit. The trailer would provide beds, water, toilet and place to hang out after fishing or swimming. I will build several small sheds, under 100 square feet (10 x 10) for storage. We can put a table and folding chairs and all the tools and fishing equipment in the sheds. I can run electricity to the lot and have water. I can build a nice fire pit, dock and may be a deck. I would like to build a 20 by 20 foot concrete slab (patio) upon which to set the camper and sheds and table and chairs.

I think this will be cheaper than a 3 car garage or similar building and allow us to utilize the pond and land until the road issue is resolved.

The big point is that we were not going to build a house until the kids are out of high school which is not for 14 years and we really do not need any type of outbuidling except for what I mentioned above. There are no covenants against camping or pop ups so at this point I do not see any problems. I hope the road issue is resolved by then.

I meet with an excavator today to continue to rough tune the pond work and design. At this point we are still moving a lot of dirt due to the rock and the basin limitations. Pond size is bouncing around and probably will need to come down to 1 to 1.5 acres. Once we get a fairly strong design and cubic yards amount (price) than I will bring in the pond consultant to begin the deconstruction and finalization of the plan.

All in all, the dream moves forward, slower than desired and more cautiously.

Happy holidays to everyone.

I am changing subjects a bit but keeping it here in the "dream" forum so as not to create too many separate threads. I hope that is okay.

I just received the next edition of Pond boss and I broke the rules. The magazine needs to last 2 months until the next one arrives so usually I must ration how much I read. I could not hold back and began into the Mr. Bob Lusk's article or follow up about converting the SM pond.

The question here is about riprap. Because of the abundance of rock at the pond site we want to riprap the entire pond. I have read about the beneifts and since I will have SM it seems to make sense.

Bob's article mentioned putting down fabric to help with weeds coming up through the riprap. He was doing an experiment. Considering the amount needed for even just a 1-1.5 acre pond, is this needed or is there another way to deal with weeds through the riprap? Do most people lay down some type of fabric under the riprap? I guess with the amount of work and money going into the 'dream', I want to do it right and best if possible.

There is probably a thread for this but any input is appreciated.

thanks

It all depends on the goals and type of cover you are creating. In my instance, I did use the weed block fabric, because with the water level fluctuations, the rip-rap would be soon become a weed choked mess.

hello friends
This ia really nice platform of that site. This ia a good site for given the information of the articles to read it.I always wishes to everyone the dreams will be come true....
=====================
Ema

ema ?

I think we have moved to step 3 out of 1000. There still exists the no structure policy due to the road issue. My windmill for aeration is even a 'no go' because a windmill would be considered a structure.

I am holding onto straws here. The well is approved and I can run electric to power the well. I guess I will have to go with an electric aerator for now which is not end of the world.

Soil and Erosion are on board with the project. That covers the last permit and approval that I needed so I think we will start digging within the next few weeks.

We are hoping to removed the topsoil and start digging out all the rock so we can see what shape and size and material is there.

thinking positive and thanks for all the inputs.

Thanks for the update Kurt, please continue to keep us in the loop as to what is happening.

As another person who has battled legal trouble (mine deals with a neighbor building damns and trying to sabotage my project), I feel for you and your family. Be diligent and record everything. Take notes on conversations that you have, and try to get people to sign things. I have had several conversations with people from my county who supported what we were trying to do, who completely denied what they said when it got legal. Hang in there, and keep pursuing your dream.

Good luck and do keep records and pics.

I have been reading here for about 6 months and I have posted some really dumb questions but I am sure that this next one will win an award. I am a bit hestitant to show you all just how limited my understanding of pond building is but here we go...

My understanding is that I want to grade the banks at a 3:1 slope to limit weeds. Since I am digging out much of the basin and widening the sides by removing the rock and will have a bottom depth of about 15 feet (this is the height of the banks to the botoom). The banks will run down from the shoreline to the bottom at 3:1 slope. Here is the question...

That means that the entire bank is a slope until it hits bottom. My understanding is that I want to place the fish structure at around 6 feet, PVC trees, Christmas trees. The spawning beds will be in shallower areas.

How do you place the structure on the slope? Or do you cut ledges in the slope to go around the pond? In Southern Wisconsin at what depth do I want ledges?



You can congratulate me now but please help me before sending the medal.

The reason for 3 to 1 is twofold. One is to get deep enough to help reduce weeds the other is so the slope won't be so steep you can't work on it. It is not critical to have 3 to 1 slopes in the pond. On the back side of the dam if you have one you don't want a steep slope. Many don't use a 3 to 1 in the pond. Instead they rim or cut the edge so it goes from 0 to 6 feet as fast as possible. The exception would be places to get in and out of the pond (swimming areas) and spawning areas. I would put some structure at all depths below max ice thickness. Ledges are good for spawning beds and for fishing. Beds can be from 1 ft to 10 feet depending on the situation.

Just a quick update. The last agency Storm and Erosion Control finally gave approval for the project. We will move the machines up to the site tomorrow morning and begin the process of creating the dream.

This has been a fun 6 months of searching, learning and planning. I think I have read and re-read about 15 different state pond management booklets, two books by Bob Lusk and et al., every relevant article from Bass Resource and Aquaculture websites and many back ordered Pond Boss magazines BUT now I am ready to begin the process of creating. There is still SO MUCH MORE I need to learn but I am excited about this next phase.

For all of you who have already treaded down this path, I will continue to seek your insights and wisdom as the construction begins. I really am grateful for all the help. I can not imagine trying to do this pond by myself.

kurt:

If you haven't done so already, get a move on building cover to place in the pond. I really, really regret not having done so before the pond was completely dug. I'm still trying to get cover in the pond, over a year later.

Building some structure or cover was one of the things that kept me sane and occupied during the winter. I have built 9 PVC trees, re-used several artificial christmas trees and have people dropping off 20 or so pallets next week to make into triangles. I have rock at the site for mounds and spawning beds and there are a few large trees for brush piles. I will order a about 60 cinder blocks for stacking. With YP, SM and WE I am hoping this will be enough to start.

too exciting

Don't forget to bring your camera for the construction!!!!!

Multiply that by your audience of about 5500. We are ready for the next production. You're ON.

What a rush to see the dirt finally moving though in reality we moved more snow than dirt. The easement needed plowing before the crawler and track hoe could make their way to the land.

It is pretty cool to see the big machines doing 'their thing'. I was never much of a car or motor guy but there is something about machines ripping through the frost line and moving big chucks of dirt.

I'll post pictures next time. They are going to dig through the weekend moving the topsoil.

Kurt, ewest has sent out a thread with great pictures of pond structure ideas. Eric if you read this you should send that thread to Kurt to check out.

Here is the link to the archive on structure/cover.

http://www.pondboss.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=92463#Post92463

Kurt
I liked the part about the big equipment moving the dirt.. Get the camera out and learn how to post the pictures.

Otto

I love the smell of diesel in the morning. Since I often spill it on me, I get to enjoy the aroma all day.

Cannot say I love the smell but it is true if you get it on yourself it will be there all day.

Thanks for the link to the structure thread. Brettski, your cribs look great!!! I started building two cribs (a little smaller) over the weekend. I just need to put one of the cross bars in and then wrap in the plastic fencing.



Hopefully the pallets will arrive this weekend.

Wow! I am amazed at the progress. In just a couple of days they have removed most of the snow and topsoil. The basin is lcear and ready to be stripped of rock and clay.

I finally have a hole besides the one in my head. It as you all know just plain, flat out a rush to walk through the basin of your own pond. I know we have to remove the rock and dig out the depths and shape the shore and floor but I was ready to start placing the structure. A little a head of myself, I know!!

I stacked the catfish pond and the forage ponds. Just too much fun.

looking at top of property down at pond



lookingfrom more or less top of pond to where the dam will sit





looking across the pond east to west


looking at dam level up the pond

Awesome, Kurt! Congrats on the progress - I love your enthusiasm! Having bought our place with ponds already in place, I don't have your same experience, but I can sure appreciate the excitement and imagine how it must feel!

Here is a hoped for end product of the construction. The main pond is under construction.

Marsh is at southern and top of hill. main pond is at north and bottom of hill



well will provide water at the top and pipes will work the water through the ponds.

Finally got some pictures posted. "Dream" is moving but slowly. There is ALOT of rock.

Any pondmeisters in the area need crush and run rock let me know. I can not sell it due to county regs so help yourselves. We will save bigger pieces for landscaping and will build a walk way around the 13 acres but there is still quite a bit. Due to the slope, the bigger the pond the more excavating. There is a limit on quality soil so it is cheaper at this point to excavate than to raise the dam. We are stock piling the rock until we can rip rap all the ponds and build the walk way. What a pile!!!

Road built to pond



Digging out rock




What a blast! Wish I could be there everyday watching.

I hear that. Totally relate. Keep at it dude, it's looking great.

It has been about 3 weeks since the last visit to the land. Work has been slow due to weather and the excavator is in Arizona helping design and test a new skid loader.

We found a nice area of clayey material in the basin and are digging that out.

kids just messing around. They threw rocks into the puddle for an hour trying to sink a stick they launched. I remember doing exactly that when I was a kid.


pond with water from the rains. This is the front half.

Clay was pushed into the middle while the rock around the banks is excavated. Dam (not yet built) is located on the other side of the mound of dirt.


ALOT of work yet to be done. patience, patience, patience

Yessir. Thanks for the pics.

Things are still moving. They are out there all this week finishing up the catfish/trout pond and starting the forage ponds.

Pic1 looking at narrow end of catfish and trout pond.


Pic2 looking at top of main pond down to where dam will sit


pic3 looking from bottom of pond in front of dam location to top of main pond


Please notice PILE OF ROCK!!!!!!!!
We are still working on what to do with it.

I know these are silly pictures but I am so excited to be within sight of the finish line.

Plants massing for their movement to the land. The 13 acres was cornfield so part of the work will be stocking the land with flowers, trees, shrubs and other plants.

Ready for deployment:
raspberries, strawberries, russian sage, day lillies, purple lilacs, chinese lilacs, hostas, forsynthias, horseradish, trumpeter vines and any thing else I can propagate from my garden or someone else's.





My neighbor had a roll of chain link left over from his fencing of his yard so I will fence in a small area and plant many of the stock there until next year. By then we should have a better idea of the layout of the land and ponds and hopefully the plants will have some size to avoid dear and other creatures.

A friend who is a landscaper found a nursery that is going out of business and I can get (50) 4 foot blue spruce dug up, delivered and planted for almost nothing. The lady just wants the trees gone.

somebody's gonna be jealous....
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-

Excavator hopes to finish in two weeks. We need to build beach area, finish path around the land, level out walk way, build a rock pad and riprap the ponds and marsh and we still need to build the forage ponds and marsh.

I meet with well installer and electric engineer next week.

Catfish/Trout pond done

It's looking good!

"just 2000 tons of rock and a dream"

Nothing exciting just fun seeing my son standing in the catfish/trout pond.
Soon there will be water.

3 Forage ponds are done. Just need to finish marsh.

Lookin good,

Where about in green county is this located. I've been looking for the last couple years for a good place to put a pond or two around here but the soil survey map doesn't give a true picture of finding good clay. I'm over in rock county.

I am just south of Juda. The soil is not the best. There is a lot of rock but the excavator is doing what he can.

I have a couple of friends in rock county and they are all sand so I am not complaining.

We are rounding the bend and heading toward the finish line. Of course there are just a few small details to wrap up.

Met with Electric Company and Water Well and we are set to start putting those in next week.


Picture of Rich Weber, retired Chicago police officer and the person responsible to hooking me up to Pond Boss. Rich does not have a pond but when I mentioned my 'dream' he lead me straight to the fountain of knowledge.

In Rich's honor, 2012 we are hosting the Rich Weber Memorial Fishing Tournament. Rich is committed to do whatever it takes to make the memorial tournament happen. He is seen here posing as how he wants to be installed in the pond as structure when his day finally arrives.

$8250 for the well. $2500 to run electric.

Having a pond is not cheap.
The deal was my wife got a family trip to Disney and I got the pond.
Everyone except my wallet is a winner.

Hoping to turn on the well and start filling July 1.

You got off cheap with that trip to disney world, compared to the money pit you have created.

Good luck, you'll enjoy that pond for a long time.

Nothing runs perfectly so I am not surprised by the bad stretch. It has been about 4 weeks since any significant work has been doen and counting. The pond was a great for the excavator during the winter and early spring as he had no other jobs but now that spring/summer has hit he is busy with other things and my pond is being left behind. Add to that all the rain we have had in Southern Wisconsin and Northern Illinois, everything is just too wet to move and compact.

The one aspect that really burned me up was he told me that almost everything was done during the last week of March. I went out there and stuff was not done. In fact the dam was built incorrrectly by his workers. It was not large enough, sloped too steep. I lost it and we had some word which has strained our working relationship. I just keep reminding myself that the excavator is not my friend during the building process and things must be done right.

To further the frustation, after I sent the down payment and signed contract the well company forgot to send me the permit. They have been waiting 2 weeks for me to return before starting to dig. Of course I can not fill out what I did not receive. More weeks lost. Until I have the well and electric I can not fill the smaller ponds or start the landscaping.

Still waiting on the bucket to sort the rock mountain.

delays, delays, delays.

I hear you on the delays.

My excavator skipped State, and I recently found out the bank nabbed him in Indiana. He was a neighbor, and had some nice stuff. Good guy overall, guess he could not weather the MI economy.

Oh well, down payment is lost.

Rain, Rain, Rain. Two months from now I will be begging for rain but now it needs to take a break so the guys can finish.

Dam has been re-worked. There are still a number of issues. Excavator has pulled the equipment to try and catch up on the other jobs that are behind due to the rain. My PVC trees sit in the garage waiting to be set free in the pond. poor PVC!!!

Don't let those PVC trees fool you, they'll try to drown you given a chance! Proceed with CAUTION!

I am hoping to see that pond full soon Kurt. Thanks for allowing us to be a part of this journey...it's exciting for all of us!

Kort get it done right the first time draining and making repairs is a real pain.

Just a quick update. Met with the excavator and have ironed out issues. He is back on board and we are moving forward. There are still a few issues but with enough constant vigilance, we should get the pond done right.

We need to raise the dam 2 feet to take advantage of the banks and pond slope but we are running out of soil. Don't fret, the 3000 tons of rock is still there. No chance of running out of rock. Whew, that was a collectively sigh of relief!

Since we need more soil and the forage ponds and marsh are not going to work as anticipated we are making some changes. Rather than have 3 small ponds 60 X 30 and a marsh running 200 X 15, we are going to dig out the bridges separating the forage ponds and the bridge dividing the marsh from the forage ponds. This will give me one shallow but larger area 200 X 50. The pond will still be 4-6 feet deep and serve to filter run on and I think I can raise minnows (Fatheads and Blunt-nose) in the larger pond.

Of course you are all pond owners which instantly makes you slightly off center so you are already thinking what I am thinking...if I could just deepen the shallow pond it would give a third pond of .1 of an acre which could be used for more than just minnows. My wife will kill me if she reads this!

Everything is moving slowly but at least it is moving.

The "Dream" inches closer and closer to completion. The picture show the main pond 1.5 acres and 25 feet deep and the second pond about .5 acres and 10 feet deep.

What is missing??? The forage ponds. I commented to the excavator that he should have finished the main pond using all the clay that he needed before building the forage ponds because if there was not enough clay to finish the main pond, what good are the forage ponds. We then decided that we should raise the dam 1-4 feet more to widen the main pond. Without calling, they knocked down the forage ponds and took all the clay. Yes, the dam was raised 4 feet but I told him but I would have liked the choice of raising the dam 2 feet and forage ponds or raising the dam 4 feet and no forage ponds. Without the forage ponds and marsh there is no water control for the run off and with the heavy recent rains has already started to erode the banks of the second pond. The ecavator is behind and profit is dwindling so he is ready to be done. He says he will stay and finish. I think we have two more weeks of work if he brings back the equipment.

We still need to dig a marsh of some sort to control the water but there is not much if any clay left. We are trying to dig a shallow trench, 200 feet long by 40 feet in front of the second pond. I am hoping for a nice 0 entry to about 4 feet. This will control water and give me a place to still grow out minnows. Not exactly what I had wanted but it might work.

We still need to slope the backs of the dams a bit.

Big disappointment is that they will not riprap the ponds. Somehow, the 3000 tons of rock was or is not enough. They decided to truck some of the rock off site even when I told them not to do that until we made sure I had enough to finish my job. They did it anyway. I would be livid (I was all weekend waiting for the excavator to call)except now I do not think I should pay full price for a job that was bid to have 5-6 ponds albeit 4 were very small and riprap around all the ponds. Without the riprap, there should be a significant price reduction. The problem is that so many mistakes have been made they have been spending time and money just re-doing things over and over. But, as much as the excavator is trying to do a good job, re-doing mistakes and the costs involved are not my problem.

I need to seed the dams, move out the structure from the house, finish the beach area, install well and electric just to mention a few things.

patience.

Finally we have started phase 2. Phase 1, i.e. the construction of ponds is not quite finished. They just need to lay down some rock on the path and fix one problem but everything after that is done.

Well is in and electric is almost run to the well and down to the pond. Trench is dug for the man-made stream (long term project)

I had several high school and college kids come out on Saturday to plant 100 blue spruces, install structure, build garden beds, plant grass seed, etc... They worked really hard. We are headed up to plant another 100 trees in two weeks.

Structure around the pond. This was a lot of fun to place. We also built a number of Smallmouth beds based upon America's favorite pond magazine - Pond Boss


Here is a picture from the top of the land showing all three ponds. If you look carefully, you can see some of the trees that now border the property.



thanks to all for your help over the past 8 months.

Looks like it is coming along nicely. I like the structure you put in the pond.

I love the layout.
I'm certain that you put the details of the drainage in previous posts, but please indulge me one more time by explaining how many acres drain in and how the water moves thru the ponds.

How about a few rock piles in the big lake ? Looks good . Hang in there over the last weeks.

We have made some changes to the original layout. I have decided not to use Golden Shiners in either pond, relying on fatheads and blunt-nose as the minnows. SMB, WE YP in the main pond, CC, RBT in second pond. With that in mind and construction issues, rather than 3 small forage ponds and a marsh area, we combined them all into a larger marsh (runoff pond) and forage pond. The forage pond is about 100 by 50 feet and the marsh is 50 by 50 attached to the forage pond.

The watershed is small. There are about 5 acres draining directly into the forage pond and couple acres which will partially drain. The forage pond was not built where I wanted it to be built so it sits about 30 feet away from the catfish pond. We will dig in a culvert to move water from the forage pond to the catfish pond. Water will then move from Catfish/trout pond to the main pond based on the same idea. Land slopes downward from pond to pond.

Ponds will be filled from the well. I will someday build a stream from the trench we dug the runs from top of forage pond (where well is) to main pond with gates to direct the water to each pond as needed.

Article in Pond Boss about making streams might be helpful hint hint.

Rock piles are on the list for the next work day.

Jump in with anything else I have missed.

One more day of working at the pond. We planted another 100 trees, moved rock, planted raspberries, blackberries, day lillies, russian sage and 100 purple lilac. We finished the structure in the main pond. Grass seed from 2 weeks ago is up and growing. Need to put down another 100 pounds or so.

Electrician will be out today to hook up metering base and well. I really, really hope to start filling this weekend

Top of dam looking up the hill



Looking from the bottom of trench out to main pond



Top of land overlooking 3 ponds


silly picture but shows the double row of small blue spruces


Excavator has not returned calls for over a month. Still owe him 10K as last payment but there are about 4 hours of work to finish project. I am done waiting. I contacted another company to come in and finish. I will subtract what I pay them from his final bill.

Pushing forward. Soon I might have to change my signature.

What fun!!!

13 acres,
3 ponds,
living the dream

Lets collectively cross our fingers...the electric inspector is heading out today to check the hook up. If everything passes, the electric company will energize the lines Monday. The well could be turned on Tuesday and the long process of filling begins.

No more 'hole in the groundmeister'. I could graduate to (dare I be so bold) 'pondmeister'.

YOO HOO!!! Graduating to a big puddle !!!

Congrats Kurt on the evolving dream!

I admit it. I have too much time on my hands and not enough water in the pond. Another idea looking for feedback...

I still have quite a bit of rock, crush and run limestone, on the property. The pond is fairly oval (no points, bays, coves etc..). I was thinking of having a loader load up the dump truck with rock and pour the rock into the pond from the water's edge out about 15-20 feet, thus building a rock dock or rock bar about 20 feet long, sitting about 2 feet above water level and a dump truck wide. It would give me a dock area so to speak to sit/stand and fish, it would be overlooking the beach area so a place to keep an eye on the kids. Because of water fluctuations, I am not putting in a dock for a while. The rock dock would provide habitat for crayfish if they show up and other things.

what do you all think???

A rock pier sounds cool. You could also just spread it in areas for SMB beds and use it as rip rap for the crays.

I think that's a very good idea. Get it in now before it fills up.

+1

If you have it, you might as well use it, plus that limestone can contribute to your water quality.

Went out Sunday to fix some minor mistakes along the dam. Turned on the power and started the well. Nothing happened. Luckily I was out there with my electrician. He checked everything out and found a mistake in the main panel done by the electric company. He fixed it and, and, and (wait for it) and WATER IS FLOWING TO THE CATFISH POND!!!!!! wow.

Went out Monday to mulch the spruce trees. We have not had a drop of rain for 32 days. Water level is way down and a few trees did not make the transplant. With the well working, we watered the trees. Hopefully we can save most of them.

This is a long process but worth it someday.

I like the rock pier idea.. Just make sure you use rock that will have voids and cavities so the crawfish can hide in there. To dense and you will just have a rock pile with no habitat, you could start with big rocks under water then top it with finer rock for an easier surface to walk and sit on.. Just a thought.

"Article in Pond Boss about making streams might be helpful hint hint."

There is one!!!

"I still have quite a bit of rock, crush and run limestone, on the property. The pond is fairly oval (no points, bays, coves etc..). I was thinking of having a loader load up the dump truck with rock and pour the rock into the pond from the water's edge out about 15-20 feet, thus building a rock dock or rock bar about 20 feet long, sitting about 2 feet above water level and a dump truck wide. It would give me a dock area so to speak to sit/stand and fish, it would be overlooking the beach area so a place to keep an eye on the kids. Because of water fluctuations, I am not putting in a dock for a while. The rock dock would provide habitat for crayfish if they show up and other things.

what do you all think???"

Great idea - see pic below using dirt (we don't have rocks in that amount)just extra dirt.

That is exactly what I want though more rock than dirt. Great pics.

Quick update,

I have rented a skid loader for next week to finish the last remaining work before winter. Much of the work is left over from the excavator not finishing.

We need to finishing laying rock in several areas to complete the walking path around the land.

Build a 15 by 15 pad for the main shed.

Move the boulders found when digging. I want to sit around the beach area.

Fill in the 300 ft trench.

Scrap out the upper section of the silt pond, re-line with clay, expand the lower section of the silt pond.

Fill in a few gulleys in the the main pond caused by spring rains.

haul out some of the fallen trees laid by the farmer several years ago.

build the rock pier.

I have 86 machine hours Monday to Sunday, we are driving with flashlights if we have to.

Should be fun!!!

The catfish pond is about 1/3 full, hoping for a localized 100 feet of snow in the Judah Wisconsin area this winter

Final entry (probably) for the year. Let me start again by thanking so many of the forum members for their patience, insights and advice over the past 12 months or so. I can safely state that I know more about ponds, stocking, habitat, weeds and other stuff than I did 10 months ago. I still have a long way to go but what a fun year!! Thanks everyone even JHAP.

We rented the skidloader and for a week moved rock and dirt. We filled in the 300 ft trench, re-built parts of the path that wraps around the 13 acres, filled in a few erosion points, built a nice pad for the shed next year, and spread dirt.

Next year I will build the rock piers, finish the road, compact the rock along the road and path. It will be a never ending list.

I spilled some of that diesel on myself just to test out DD1's thought. It made me smell better but my wife was not too impressed.

"I love the smell of diesel in the morning. Since I often spill it on me, I get to enjoy the aroma all day." Dave Davidson1_________________________


Thanks again to everyone. What a great website and magazine. Still a lot of learning and work to be done but all in all, I think it has been a pretty good year.

this was almost a credible post

Would you say that it represents .547 of a good post?

(Currently my good post count is at 46.453 and I'd really like my post count to get back to whole numbers).

Never mind, I just received the .547 in another thread!

And well deserved Sir

Well, I am back. After a wonderful winter off it was time last weekend to head out to the land and check out the past year's work. Big pile of rock is still there, most of the blue spruces survived and the catfish pond is leaking.

Everybody's nightmare has come to pay me a visit. It is too bad there are no threads here concering leaking ponds (wink).

The backside of the catfish pond about 4 feet high, water is trickling out through the soil. There is still snow in WI so it is hard to tell exactly what is going on. My wife (she is not available) after hearing the news said, "I do not miss the money since it was in the bank so spend what you need to fix it". "You can not spend the kids' college funds or our retirement but do what you need". Now that's a wife!

I do not think it is end of the world but it will just delay everything. I am talking to some people and at this point here are the next steps. Please give ideas...

1. Spring will still be planting. I have 500 shrubs from state of WI arriving soon, another layer of grass seed, re-plant 20 more blue spruces and seed wildflowers.

2. Once May arrives and the soil dies up a bit, I still need to move rock. Rent a track dozer with large bucket to move rock and finish building road and path around the land and the rock pier.

3. Rent a large roller and crush the rock on roads and path.

4. Using the roller, roll and compact the back of dam and catfish levee, (settling and winter have caused some of the problems) level terrain around ponds and roll the banks of both ponds.

5. Later in year when catfish is dried out, rent sheepsfoot roller and re-work basin in both ponds, compacting to proper compaction. The basins are holding fine but as long as I have the roller, we are going to roll everything. I realize there is a limit to how much soil can be compacted (Pinney did a long thread about it, over my head) so I am going to hit that limit. I do not want to do this again next year!

6. Rent a track hoe and skidloader and dig out dirt from the forage pond which has several good veins of clay material still available. Move the dirt to the catfish levee and rebuild the levee from the inside. The banks of the levee are very steep and impossible to roll as they are so I am going to change the grading and add about a foot of clay at the end of the catfish pond. 1 foot X 15 high by 30 long.

7. Buy DB200 and add it to the catfish pond then roll the DB200 with a roller working the levee especially hard. The doctors recommend at least 2 applications so, after rolling, add another layer of clay to the levee and another application of DB200 to the entire pond, then roll it like theres no tomorrow.

The moron with 3 big holes has spoken. What saeth oh experts out there?

talk to you all soon. Have a great time at the Pond Boss Expo, maybe next time for me.

Kurt,

If needed I have a ton of Bentonite 3/8" chips I could bring up from the farm and let you have for a very responsible price. PM me if interested.

Need help so I go to Pond Boss. Maybe I should put this under a new heading but let;s see what happens. If you read the earlier posts you know that I need to re-work some of the pond including the catfish levee. Unfortunately, I can not find anyone who rents flat shell rollers or sheepsfoot rollers to individulas like me. One company in Monroe does have them but you must be a business and carry full insurance on yourself and add the machine to your liability insurance. I am not that. I can find, skid loaders, excavators and track loaders but no rollers.

I am located south of Juda Wisconsin if anyone know a company or person who has such equipment. If so, please send me a PM. I will hire machine and driver if not too expensive.

You all have not let me down yet, so get cracking!

Going up next week to plant 500 shrubs, grass seed and a few more trees. I have everything at the pond except the pond. minor details.......

The local rental place said that usually contacting your insurance agent to have a rider added to the property insurance policy for the time the machine will be on the site is good enough. Have you tried contacting your insurance agent, then talking to the rental place?

I did (State Farm). Since the land is just land, they will not add a machine to the property insurance. Issue revolves around amount of insurance collected versus amount that could be clained in case of an accident.

Still hoping to find someone.

Why am I not suprised. The rental company said State Farm was the hardest company to work with.....

Well, finally some good news. I have found an avenue which might allow me to rent the rollers that I need to finish the 'dream'

I have an excavator rented for the last week of May. We will try to dig out as much clay as possible to re-line the catfish levee and lay down a fresh layer of clay around the banks and basins.

I have rented a skid loader for a month in July to move rock, re-build roads and path, lay clay around the banks, add DB200, bentonite (thanks Lassig) and finally build the rock pier and rock bridge. I think 1 day with the sheepsfoot roller and one day with the smooth sheel should be enough.

I have listed pictures of them below. Each one is capable of being a smooth shell and sheepsfoot. My best guess is that the vibrating roller will be the better one. They are almost the same cost per day.

 Drum width 54”
 12,000 lbs Operating Weight



 Drum Width 66”
 15,503 lbs Operating Weight

Volvo SD70 Smooth Single Drum Roller, Vibratory Roller

What do you all think?????

Next weekend plant 500 shrubs, more trees, wildflowers, strawberries, more raspberries and 100 pounds of grass seed.

I am getting excited again. I am hoping and praying that we can finish this up RIGHT this summer and have everything ready for the fall to fill.

Glad to see you got a break. Looking forward to seeing the progress.

We worked through the muck problem.

removed most of the riprap so we can reqork the banks and levee.

We dug out roughly 500 cubic yards of new clay from the barrow pit (which make a nice swimming hole and new grow out ponds in the future)

Once the riprap is removed, we will strip 6 inches from the basin, compacted what is left, then add DB200 and compact again. Then we will add 8 inches of new clay another layer of DB200 and compact.

July will be a big month to try and move everything and finish up the catfish pond.

Hey,

Even in my leaking, draing pond, bullfrogs and tadpoles arrived. I am counting it as life in the mudhole. Of course we drained the pond wiping out the tad poles but aquatic life had arrived all by itself. Probably carried in on the legs of a bird, Somebody will reach out and slap me for that one.

Bad to worse is the the going direction. The person who was going to rent the rollers is now unable 4 days before we start re-working the catfish pond.

Any southern wisconsin pond meisters out there? Anybody have a lead on where to rent a smooth shell vibratory roller?

desperate so any help is appreciated.

kurt

Kurt:

I'd start calling any of the large equipment rental places, and also look into Cat/Deere/Komatsu heavy equipemnt dealers and ask them about any possible rentals or companies that rent. I'm sorry to hear about the situation.

Some of the dealers here also rent.

I found a small roller 1 and 3/4 ton 36 inch vibratory drum smooth shell.

Will this work under these conditions.

Stripping 6 inches off basin leaving 1 foot in place

rolling basin
adding DB200 and rolling
adding 8 inches of new clay and DB200 and rolling

Will the smaller roller provide enough compaction. I can not find or rent anything bigger but do not want to waste time if there is no hope.

please chime in with advice.

Kurt, I can't give you an answer, I don't have hands on experience with that type of roller. Any idea how many # PSI it puts on the ground?

Any updates on the re-working of your catfish pond?

Anything and everything that could go wrong has gone wrong. The third day of work, one of the worker tipped the skid loader and being a Sunday and the next day the 4th of July, the machine sat idle for over 2 days. 2 days later, another worker tipped it. That has been the highlight.

What a mess. 3 flat tires, a stuck roller that had to be yanked out, and last weekend 4 inches of rain.

I should not sound so negative but it is very frustrating. The days that I work, I sit in the machine 10-11 hours running but we just do not seem to be getting much done.

On the good note and yes there has been a couple of good points. The forage pond has a lot of clay which I suspected it did as reflected in the soil surveys. This is where the the original excavator was to pull out clay creating a barrow pit which would then become the forage ponds. The middle bank of the forage pond is 30 feet wide, 100 feet long and 9 feet high of excellent clay. It it taking alot of time to pull out and transfer to the catfish pond. Most of you weirdo pond people can relate to this, the forage pond has grown from 30 by 100 to 100 by 100 with a 50 by 100 marsh area/sediment basin. Using the existing upper bank, we created a 15 by 100 small minnow pond for fatheads, not me, but the minnows. Bigger is better. Because the forage pond has grown, it is now the swimming hole or will be. We are still pulling out clay down 8 feet so the depth is great. I just need to finish and clean it up and then cut the beach area.

Last's week rains have flooded the ponds. We did not receive what some places did but at least 4 inches running into the pond. We were in the process of laying the first layer of new clay on the banks when the rains hit. The levee area of the catfish pond is sitting with about 4 feet of water. Yes, that is good since it never hs filled that high but now I need to pump it out, let everything dry before returning to work.

1 month of work and there is still so much to do. the main pond is way beyond fixing at this point.

I have a friend who can secure the rollers I need. The 2 ton roller did not work. He has a 16,000 Sheepsfoot and a 28,000 flat shell. they are available for a the right price whenever I need them.

Water is high, money is low and the emotions ebb and flow. Some days this is the worst decision I have ever made and wish I could turn back the clock. On other days, when I see the forage pond take shape with the swimming area, marsh and fathead pond, I am pretty elated. I hold on to that idea and the pictures I see here and in Pond Boss of my kids jumping in the water, or yelling "fish on". I have dreamt of this pond for so many years and it is still just beyond my grasp. I see it, I hope it, I dream it, but that is all it is. I have enough money for 1 more month of work. After that, I am tapped.

The "dream" flickers.

I will post some pictures tomorrow

Kurt, hang in there. It WILL happen. I can't tell you how many times the equipment broke down when we were renovating my pond. I had to pump water every day for about 10 hrs just to get it so we could see where we were digging. There were days that I pumped for 10 hrs. just to have a machine break down an hour later. Then wait 3-5 days for the part, pumping water every day so the pond didn't fill up too much.

2 years after it's done you'll be loving it.

Yep, hang in there.

I feel your pain Kurt...........spend all that time and money, and have a mud hole! Keep going man, it will happen!

3 steps forward and 4 steps back. I spent Thur, Fri and Sun driving the skidloader.

Thursday night I slept in the cab of the skid loader. I am an idiot but the work has to get done. I have brought out contractors, workers and unemployed people and no one wants the work. For some it was too much work, for others too big a job, others it was not the right kind of work, and one who had not had any work in his company for 4 months, the timing did not fit.

I am out again this weekend, thur-Sun. Spend the nights thur and fri.

Saturday we received a heavy rain which flooded the ponds I just spent draining and washing out banks I had just rebuilt.

Oh what fun!!!
middle pond looking down to dam



Front of middle pond looking to bend. Clay staged in the pond ready to be laid once the ponds dry out.


middle pond has grown to about 1.25 acres but not too deep average 6 ft with max at 12.

This was originally going to be the catfish pond but since the main pond may not be finished for several years, I am looking at making this pond smallmouth and yellow perch

swimming pond...the swimming pond will be small about 70 by 70 with max depth 8 feet for the raft. Beach area is in the front. We will build a rock partition or wall in the back area to create a second forage pond that is connected to the marsh area. Marsh area stretches up the picture and is about 100 long by 30 feet wide. The upper march will be cut off from the lower marsh and serve as a separate retention basin for silt and area of shallow water for frogs, and other stuff.



This is the upper forage pond. It is 15 by 100 long. This will be for fathead minnows. This ponds still needes work but with the water have been unable bring the skiloader in to finish.


we are 3 days of work away from bringing out the rollers but every time I mention working at the land, a storm comes. After we sheepfoot roll the ponds, then we lay the DB200 sealant, add 6 inches of new clay, roll with the smooth shell roller and then add 1 more layer of DB200 and last roll.

Then we can build the rock bridge, and rock fishing docks.

I have the skidloader rented every Thur to Sun until the end of Sept. Man, I hope I can finish.

I sure hope I do not have any other dreams like this ever again.

Rained Saturday pumped water all day Thursday
Rained Saturday pumped water all day Sunday
Rained Tuesday pumped water all day Wednesday

So much for August being a dry and hot month in Northern Illinois, Southern Wisconsin.

We are not expected to receive rain for 5 whole days. Friday is finishing touches of which there are still alot.

Saturday Sheeps foot arrives for first roll.
Sunday 28,000 lb smooth shell roller arrives for final roll.

There is a chance, and actual hold onto your hat chance that the pond will be done come Sunday night.

I will spend the night Fri and Sat to try and push through. One last push and we are almost done. After this just a few cosmetic touches like pier and bridge but big work will be done.

kurt:

Here's to no rain for the next 5 days. Do you have your cover seed waiting in the wings? As soon as you get finished, it's important to get the seed down so it can start growing and hold all the exposed soil in place.

Everyone ready to play "Wheel of Misfortune?

Over the past few months of trying to fix all the problems from the original builder, We have run into almost every problem imaginable
flat tires,tipped machines, stuck machines, broken machines, days of rain and pumping water. The list goes on. We have dediced to call the land "Colossal Failures Sanctuary" a place where all your failures can live in harmony.

This past week, on Friday the skidloader broke the hydraulic housing so it went down friday afternoon. With two huge rollers sitting there, I could do no work until the skildloader is fixed or at least removed from the pond. By Saturday morning it was determined that part of the drive was shot and there was nothing they could do until they yanked it out on Monday. 16,000 sheeps foot and a 28,000 lb flat shell sitting idle for the weekend was not a promising start.

I called a friend, owner of the rollers on Saturday explaining my situation and 2 hours later he shows up with a track loader that I could rent/use for the weekend. Saved the day but I am not done yet. He shoots some elevation and notices a few other problems. He has been in the excavating business for 20 plus years. He asked on Saturday afternnon around 3 pm if he could jump in the track loader and fix a few of the problems. Have at it. The 3 of us watch is wonder and amazement as he ran the track loader all over the place building a bank 2 feet higher, clearing out muck, leveling a few areas and shooting the final grades in about 3 hours. It would have taken us days to do that work.

Thank you Troy. There are not enough words to express my gratitude to the sacrifice and help Troy provided. I was thinking over the weekend as the pump broke down several times at the land (misfortune) there are alot of forums here at Pond Boss and I know you want to stay away from attacking, critizing companies and people but coming from my ministry background and education, what about a forum that allows individuals to share stories of those rare times when people go out of their way to help us in building, fixing, completing our ponds? What Troy did for my situation is beyond thanks. how many more have stories of people helping. Each thread could be limited to so many words but would serve to encourage future pondmeisters that even though there are people who take advantage of us, walk away from umcompleted jobs or leave us with ponds that leak, there are good people out there who even help for free. Just an idea.

After he left, we finished rolling and laying the sealant, laid the last of the clay and rolled again. By Thursday we started pumping water from the main pond back up to the middle pond.



Looking up at where beach will sit

looking from beach area to end of swimming hole


looking at far end of catfish pond to bend

looking at levee as we pump up water


looking at overview, top of picture is small forage pond, march area in background with rentention wall


Starting tomorrow, finish the road and path work, spread out topsoil aand more grass. Turn on the well and see what happens over the next few months as it fills.


Troy Lee
Troy Lee Excavating
5024 Torque Rd
Loves Park, IL 61111
815/636-8478

That's good news! It's amazing what a skilled operator can save in $$ (machine time).

Kurt, we generally tell the good and the bad around here. Remember that guy when somebody posts here needing a good dirt guy in your area.

I'd give that friend a dozen prime ribeye steaks and a key to my gate lock.

Thanks for the heartwarming story, Kurt.

Thanks for the story. I like Dudley's idea. Plus tell him you posted it here and hope he gets some extra business as a result. Go back in your post and add his full name and phone so others can find him.

I struggle to be optimistic but it looks good. I still would like to stock the minnows this fall. Heavy rains have caused a bit of erosion but grass is starting to fill in. I have the skidloader for 2 more weekends and hope to finish moving rock, stage clay for next year.

I have about 30 small trees to plant may just have to hold them over until next year.





Kind of gloomy day

swimming hole in front, middle pond in back


forage pond in front, swimming hole then middle pond, marsh off to far right side

You're going to have to change your signature, kurt.

Congratulations -- you overcame so much to get where you are. Enjoying these ponds is going to be awfully gratifying given what you had to do to get them.

As soon as the first fish (minnows) get stocked the name changes.

I would go ahead and stock the minnows. A barren pond is an obscenity.

Another weekend at the land working and sleeping in the skidloader. Yes, I am crazy and yes it was cold. Being on top of the hill, with no wind blocks, wind blew 20-30 miles an hour throughout the night.

I moved clay around to staging areas for next year and moved rock down to the main pond for whenever I work on it.

Middle pond is about 2 feet from being full. Will leave it that way for the winter snow and spring rains.

Upper forage pond had a bit of problem. I moved the hose to the forage pond and it filled up too quickly and one area of the levee gave out. as soon as I woke and exited the skidloader I could tell it had filled too high. I just watch as water rolled over the top and began eating away at the back side. Eventually a 1 foot gap open and some of the water rushed into the swimming hole. The rest of the forage is hold well. I think next spring I will empty it and strenghten the wall a bit and raise the wall. I would like another foot of depth to the forage pond.

Next week back at it again. Planting the last of the trees for this year and moving the rock around. Will fill up the 2 marshes to see how they hold.


Question: I am looking at putting in the minnows within the next two weeks, what will the minnows eat from water that is fresh from the well?

thanks.

LOVE THE VIEW!

main pond in the back, putting work off for a year or so.

it shouldnt take long for phytoplackton to arive and zooplankton. I dont know if they are in underground water, but my guess would be that there is already enough life in your ponds to support minnows.

Putting the minnows in now before the hard winter gives you no benefit.

Fish metabolism is slower in the winter and reproduction won't take place until spring.

I suggest putting the minnows in, if you just can't wait late winter but preferably early spring.

But minnows in now will become accustome to the pond and be able to call it home.

And if he has time to put minnows in the spring also, GREAT! But if life gets too busy and he cant tend that part until July, there should be a few crops of this years hatch adding to the ponds minnow soup!

If it were my pond i would put in a few pounds of fatheads if I could find them. They may not do much reproducing over the winter, but as fishm_n said they would be acclimated and ready to start reproducing when the water was right. They aren't very expensive.

Just found out the company is re-structuring and I am out of a job. Everything with the pond is on hold until things turn around. I wish it were spring because at least I could be working and planting now I have a long winter of nothing.

thanks for all the help see you all around soon.

kurt

kurt, that sucks. Merry Christmas, huh?

Sorry to hear of the problem.

I'm sorry to hear of your misfortune, Kurt. I hope things turn around quickly.

Unfortunately, cutbacks and layoffs seem to be the new normal.

One door closes, other doors open. Hang in there.

Nothing i can do about now. Just trying to put the pieces together. I worked and my wife stayed home so things are tight for the moment. I got some part-time work started and can landscape come spring with a friend who owns a landscaping company. My wife might go back to school to get her teaching license. She is a pre-school teacher but maybe she moves up.

thanks for the encouragement and prayers.

Hopefully the pond is holding water through the winter.

Kurt, great to see you hanging in there so strong despite all the challenges. As I read your posts, I kept thinking that you were gonna catch a break sooner or later. You didnt, but you stuck with it with an amazing level of persistance.

I can only imagine the frustration and stress but I am possitive it will be even better when you are enjoying it!

Just thought I would post a quick update.

Since last Dec 1 when I was let go from my job I shut off the well and basically walked away for the winter. I went back late April to check out how things had wintered. With the little snow and no spring rains, the ponds had dropped but since they were never truly full, and never fully finished wicking, I thought the amount was not terrible. With little rain and snow and no well running for 28 weeks, the ponds dropped about 24 inches. I am thinking that the compaction, clay and DB-200 may have created fairly strong seal.

Life has arrived inspite of me to the ponds. There are millions of tadpoles in all 5 ponds. Many raccoon tracks, deer and even saw a blue heron swoop in for a bit. I have not stocked fish so he/she probably did not spend too much time. Heard a coyote howl and lots of birds and a couple of ducks.

With no job still, moving slowly and really watching the budget. Since the ponds are down I have decided to alter the plans and bit. I spent last weekend digging down and installing and drain down pipe with overflow pipe in the forage pond, strenghtening walls. Forage pond will overflow into the swimming hole and at the end of the sseason, I can drain it down and move the minnows to the swimming hole for trout (maybe) or to the catfish pond. Mark Lasig of "On Lasig Pond" dropped off 2000 lbs of bentonite left over from his pond which I am using when installing pipes and flows. Thank you Mark. I tell you, you all are a weird group of people and I mean that in the nicest way. I have never met Mark before but it did not take long before he is showing me pictures of his fish and swapping short stories about other pond boss people. Mark has been around a while and met far more people than I have. Someday, I hope to get to meet more of you and learn. Thanks again, Mark.

I am building or wiring up a valve and timer to the well so I can set it up and have the well turn on one day a week and flow to the different ponds for som many hours. I need to connect the forage pond with the 2 marshes with PVC piping and then set the overflow from the swimming hole to the catfish pond.

Things are moving slow, another 12 days without rain really puts a kink in the grass seed planting. Erosion hit a few areas hard so they need fixing.

I have ordered the fatheads and catfish so I should be stocking next week, fingers crossed. Once the fish are in, I will have the summer to finish up all the details around the ponds.

Last detail...I want to raise the swimming hole by 1-2 feet. Deepth is 5 feet 1/4 acre. My wife will not swim with fish larger than minnows. I want to swim in the summer, and stock trout in the fall, fish them out bu late spring before we start swimming again. With the electrical box for the timer on the well, I will add a circuit for areation which the trout will need during the winter.

Enough boring stuff from me. I will try and post a picture of the BIG day when fish finally get stocked. 2 years and counting but closer than ever.

Wow! A dream slowly realized, but coming true! I hope you land a good job soon, and enjoy your ponds this summer. Long hard road, but it will be worth it.

Great update, Kurt. Sorry the job situation is not improved but praying for you to land where you are supposed to be workwise.

Would love to see some pictures now that things have had some time to settle in. Sounds like you've got some good projects lined up and are tackling them very sensibly and methodically. Good for you!

Best of luck on all of it!

Pictures coming soon but just needed to share good news.

The fatheads have already spawned!!!! Walking around the pond's edge and I could see hundreds of small minnows everywhere. Beautiful.

Pictures next time but we are in our second streetch of 100 degree weather so I am staying home this week.

Kurt,

I hate to see bad stuff happen to a guy with a dream like you, but I'm glad that I'm not the only one that life poops on with what seems like quickening frequency these days.

If your wife don't wanna swim with fish bigger than minnows don't tell her that they're in there LOL.

I swam my whole life in a pond full of bass and cats better than five pounds and in three decades I've yet to bump into one while swimming. Occasionally some little a-hole bluegill will try to eat a mole on your leg or something, but that's it.

Remember that no matter how crappy things get, I'm kind of jealous of you LOL.

Finally got a few new pictures. With the heat passing in our neck of the woods, I can finally start working again. It is getting harder and harder to go out on Tuesday work all day, sleep in a tent and work Wednesday.

I received my renewal form for pond boss. Without even asking, my wife stated, "renew it". Like all of you great husbands out there, you know to listen to your wives so I listened and sent in a check to cover the next 2 years. Seriously, even though we are both working only part-time, she stated that the money we save from the mistakes "I DO NOT MAKE AS OFTEN" (her words)save money in the long run. I think that is a complement to pond boss somehow.

Here is the forage pond. I have added a drain down pipe and an overflow pipe. The overflow is not yet cut to the depth I want. I spent the spring hauling in dirt and leveling the far bank and widening it so we can traverse the pond. I built 2 pallet floats to serve as spawning areas for the fatheads. I chained them to a stake but put is vetical pipes so they can move up and down with water changes and then be removed in the fall. 1 has pop bottles and the other does not. Just seeing if I need more floats. Far end I put in rocks to build a rock wall and it is where the waterfall will go eventually.




I built a wall foundation or sunken wall as described by Bob Lusk several issues ago and just as Bob said, the minnows love hanging out in and around the rocks. What do you know, 'Old Bob' got that one right! Just kidding. I was and am amazed at the number of minnows swarming the rocks. I want to build another rock bed at the other end of the catfish pond.







Lower catfish



upper catfish




Irrigation
I have been diggin in about 500 feet of 3" irrigation tubing to start to control run off and control water flow. With a minimal watershed being on top of thehill, I am hoping to capture as much of the water as possible, filter it through several sendiment basins.



I have golden shinners and a few more catfish going in this fall. Next spring the largemouth and I start feeding the catfish.

winter aeration is ordered and will be installed soon.

What do you do if you have lots of time and no money both due to no job? You work on the ponds by hand. Unfortunately the camera was not cooperating so I only was able to take a couple of pictures.


Built a holder for the diffuser to keep it off the bottom




Installed the winter aerator




elephant god, given to me by a retired chicago detective as good luck, trunk up and facing east.


I have also added 4 fishing docks. I went back and forth on floating docks or removal docks but instead built docks that sit above the water line, more like fishing piers that should have to be removed. pictures later...

This is called, Christa's cove (my wife).





Brought up heavy equipment to finish a couple of jobs and presto, 4 inches of rain in 3 days. Pretty much stalled the work and now I have to pump out water from the other ponds to finish the work.

Tough going but pressing on

look at catfish pond

Since you now have minnows in the pond, are you going to change your signature? This was a long journey for you and a great read for me. Glad to see your dream is getting closer.

David

This day has been long coming and slow to arrive. It is time to update a few pictures and change my name.

I had Troy Lee Excavating come back out and finish a few projects that I should have done last year but lack of knowledge and just being a plain old moron, I failed to do them the first time.

We raised the swimming hole bank by 1 foot and thickened the bank. Shooting elevations (hey, I did it this time) water will hit the spots I need.


Leveling area around pond and mining clay for the pond.


New and improved swimming hole with catfish pond in background. Blue swimming pool in far back of swimming hole, that area will become a spawning area for the smallmouth.



Thanks go to Troy Lee and his crew for the work and for allowing me to run some of the equipment. I like the roller. If anyone in the northern illinois or southern wisconsin wants a pond and wants it right, Troy has my recommendation.

For sure you deserve the name change to whatever you want. I read in fascination the journey,one I am gald I did not have to make.
I think every perspective pond builder should read your journey and maybe understand why all the PB'ers, (you too),recommend having a quality, knowledgable, and last but not least, pond builder 1st, not just a dirt mover.
Good luck in the future as well as finding work. I will also be praying for you, my fellow PB'er.

It is november 2012, almost 3 years in construction and another season is ending and giving way to winter. I have 1 or 2 more trips up to finish a couple more projects.

This is my home away from home. Throw a couple of tarps over the wood and viola, a tent. Beats sleeping in the cabin of a skidloader like last year.


Picture of the "new" swimming hole with forage in front, frog pond to right and catfish pond in back.


There were several large cloudsd of minnows moving around. never seen this before but assuming they are fatheads.


This is what the dream means to me, hoping this is my family and I just hanging out with a line in the water.

Wow, very nice! That is going to be a great place to hang out and wander. I am so happy for you on getting this far, too bad it was a bumpy road. Next up: Job. Lets hope the new job doesn't keep you from this wonderful spot.

-Mark

I have to say I was impressed with your sheer determination and congratulate you.You kept at it when many would have thrown in the towel.I really think and hope you will get a thousand times more pleasure from your project then the pain you endured to make it this far.

Good luck on the rest of your journey and thank you for sharing this.

Well, once again the time has arrived to shutdown the ponds for winter. at least this year I am shutting down ponds and not just holes in the ground. I still have a few projects to finish out over the next few weeks but nothing major until the spring.

Thanks again to all the help from this site on the ponds, fish, buildings, ect...Let me get in touch with my sensitive side for moment...I know I could never have gotten this far without the help from you all. My wife likes the ponds enough to have the Christmas card be pictures of the ponds and the kids at the ponds.

Merry Christmas and Peace on Earth from the Pedersens' ponds.

forage pond with fatheads


Swimming hole with fatheads and shiners (trout during the winter)


Frog Ponds a few fatheads


Fishing hole with Fatheads, Shiners and CC (SMB and WE in spring)


Pedersens' Ponds


Have a great holiday and see you all soon.

This makes me smile!!!!!

Hey everyone,

Hope everyone is good and starting the year off better. If you remember last December 2011 I was let go by work so starting last year was a struggle. Still looking for full-time work but I cobbled enough part-time work to pay the bills and as Homer says, "I still am able to crame 8 hours of television into the day". just kidding. Hopefully this year is better, counting the blessing that we have been given.


I am not much of a builder, carpenter etc. Measure once cut 6 times is my motto. It is a very expensive motto. I have been trying to keep busy during the winter and plan ahead for the ponds. Smallmouth and walleye are ordered and I am building sheds and living spaces at home in modules. This will make it easier to transport since we only have a small van.

Building rafters and roof for the sheds.




building walls and frames for the sheds



Deck modules 3 ft by 3 ft. Will arrange in a large square with fire pit in the middle.


I do have to tell 1 quick story. My family and I were in Kentucky visiting my sister and her family. her husband is a forest ranger in Paduka. Anyway, I always bore him with stories of the pond and was telling how a couple of ducks came last Novemember for the day to rest then tke off again. I told him I need to start building bird houses, wood duck houses etc...He says that I should look for a bood or somethign that lists different houses, sizes, hole sizes, location and height sizes. As he is telling me this while we are watching my nephew (his son) play 8th grade basketball game, I am nodding my head while looking through my Pond Boss magazine. Those of you who subscribe already know the end of the story. Old Bob and his crew got me again. Just when I start to doubt Pond Boss it comes and kicks me. I flip the page to the article by Mel "Bird Man" and the article has a grid listing all the necessary info for a variety of bird houses. Thank you guys. I have finished about 15 houses and as soon as I can get to the land, I will start putting them up.

Have a great February and come March back to the ponds to work.

People who don't get the magazine don't realize the amount of information that they are missing, not only for the ponds, but for the surrounding land.

Keep up with the updates. You are plugging along nicely!

You have done a really good job on your woodworking projects. This is coming from an old shop teacher. One hint that may save you some work in the future. On the deck sections, you need to put a ledger strip under the deck top that you screwed into the ends. Just rip a salt treated board into 3 equal widths and secure inside the sections. Salt treated is known for cracking and if the board slides down, it is a bugger to pull back up. I loved your project and hope you the best in the future.

If I did this right you should be able click the link and see a satelite picture of my land with a couple of the ponds built. The picture is 2 years old so it only shows the main pond (not yet finished), catfish pond 9now finished), and swimming hole (now finished). It does show the paths and road built

I havew only gotten up once because winter and rain have not left. We received more snow today, april 12. I am hoping to go monday for a couple of days.


satellite of land at purchase
http://mapq.st/14l9JWC



satellite after 1.5 years
http://binged.it/XyDj5z.

satellite after 2.5 years show fishing hole full with swimming hole, forage pond and frog ponds
http://goo.gl/maps/HrXIG

I haven't logged on for awhile. Hope everyone is good. I need to catch up with all the activity.

Last week after 3 long years, finally stocked smallmouth bass and walleye to the fishing pond. The minnows are everywhere so the little predators should have plenty to eat and get fat.

Just a couple of pictures to show progress so fat this spring, cleaning out weeds, planting, stocking and building.




this shows the before of the ponds with weeds and stuff



after


background you can see some of the birdhouses up thanks to mel


just another overview


one more day of raking weeds, rip rap then i start on the shed. Base is built and locked into place, now time to put up the walls.

see you,

Very nice Kurt, hope everything turns out good for you in the future.

Now being under-employed for over a year, I have had time to self-reflect and learn about myself and my inner characteristics. I am lazy, cheap and an idiot. Of course all of you realized that from my first posts but again, being an idiot it took me longer to see it. Now that I know and accept who I am, I am at peace with the world and can build and design my pond and surroundings to suit me.

The fish pond is narrow and long so no boat is needed to fish (save money - cheap).
Piers were built to extend over the water (no docks, floating or removal needed - lazy)

captain's chair can be positioned off of pier for wildlife watching or installed onto pier for fishing. It even swivels (idiot)
















In my free time at home building my son a tree house/club house though my wife tends to call it my room. Not sure what she means - idiot.

I decided I needed a small pond at the house so I dug this out by hand, well I occassionally used a shovel. It is 15 feet by 10 feet 4 feet deep with 2 man-made streams re-circulating the water from the 150 gallon stock tank. I will put in a liner and hopefully raise hybrid bluegills for dinner. Small ones in the 150 gallon stock tank, larger in the pond. I figure in the fall, pull out the larger ones, move small to pond and re-stock stock tank.



chicken coop and run in the back.

Let's just say my wife is a very forgiving.

Hey, I think those projects came out very good! I like the lawn chair on a swivel. Does it work pretty well?

Kurt, the idiot club isn't all that small. Welcome to the club.

Just glad to be finally accepted.

Now that I am officially a member of the idiot club, thanks Dave for the nomination, let me share with you my latest accomplishment.

Last week, I cut the grass at the ponds. I know what your thinking but it has been 3 years of building, moving, rebuilding ponds and banks. To actually cut the grass is to move into a new phase. I cut a path around several ponds, the lawn near the shed and around the road. The weeds were about 3 feet high so it took a while but the lawnmower was my dad's which I received when he passed 8 years ago. It has been 6 years since the last time I used it but it fired up and ran great. I need to sharpen the blades.

I know it sounds crazy but it felt good to move in a new direction.

Summer is rushing past faster than I can imagine. Still alot of work to do but making some head way.

Shed is almost done. Need to fill seams, paint and then finish deck. The cast iron caldron is perfect for a fire or to cook. When it heats up, it stays hot.

Need to get back the weeds a bit but that maybe a 'next year' job.






On a non pond note, treehouse is almost done. need to add metal roof, stain and finish rope rails for bridge. It has been a little more work than expected but my son likes so enough said.

Summer is dying out but before a few more days of 90 plus heat. The shed is almost done and the deck with awning complete.



Just a few more projects, cut down weeds, clean aerator for winter use, move minnows from forage to fishing hole, cut firewood and lay a little more rip rap.

I know this sounds crazy but I have not even gone fishing yet so the date is set to take the kids next weekend. I watch bass pound the surface last week chasing minnows. pretty cool!!

Congrat's Kurt!! What a demonstration of perseverance. You'll have plenty of stories to tell. Enjoy your dream.

Nice work. Let the dream roll on !

Dont tell the kids but I snuck off 2 days ago while finishing the deck and took 20 minutes to fish. Using an ultr lite rod/reek, 10 casts, 1 smallmouth 10 inches and 1 walleye 12 inches. Not bad considering we stocked the SMB at 4-6 inch and the WE at 6-8 inches in the spring of this year. They have been eating good.

Now I need to take the kids fishing. My son has never caught a fish before and my daughter just a couple of 4 inch bluegills.

Hey Kurt, congrats on the SMB!

It looks like on some of your photos that the big pond is still dry. Are you going to fill that one too?

Hard to believe that I am closing the 4th year of pond building. Lets just say that I am a more knowledgable about ponds, pond building and fish than I was 4 years ago. I was not ready to jump into the pond ownership 4 years ago. Too many mistakes cost too much extra money and time, however, after 4 years and being where I am now, I don't think I would change a single thing. I hope my wife still feels that way about me?!?

When I get a bit depressed, it feels good to stop and count the blessing as I walk down memory lane.

Here is the land or cornfield as it was when we bought it.

CORNFIELD


STARTING YEAR 1 CONSTRUCTION





ENDING YEAR 1


ENDING YEAR 2


ENDING YEAR 3


ENDING YEAR 4









ADDING THE LAST FISHING PIER TO THE PERCH POND
[img]http://i854.photobucket.com/albums/ab108/kurped/PA020011_zps0ce7e962.jpg[/img]


Not bad for a guy who had never used tools before. The past years have seen this idiot driving skidloaders, bulldozers, backhoes, 32,000LB flat shell and sheepfoot rollers along with trying to build things like birdhouses, piers, shed and deck.

The swimming hole is now the perch pond or at least it will be in the spring. The frog ponds will be converted to the swimming hole. They have a built in 0 slope entry which will be great for kids.

Big pond to stay dry until I land a full-time job and can save a little money but it is still nice to fish the 1.25 acre pond especially now that the smallmouth and walleye are biting.

Just a few more projects this year and then the winter to plan the attack for next year. Thanks to so many for help, insight and assistance. Being a pondmiester is not easy, cheap or even reasonable, but it sure can be fun!!!

Kurt, you should be very pleased and proud of your work. Most of us bought our ponds already done and have no idea of the magnitude of your labor. I hope everything turns out great for you in the future. I have enjoyed your thread more then any other one on this forum. Take care.

Several friends not mine, I don’t have any… people either hate me or don’t know me yet, but moving on, have asked why an idiot like me would try to build ponds when putting my shirt on NOT inside out and NOT backwards is an engineering accomplishment for me (ask my wife).

I think the answer lies with my mom. My mom was a nutcase, I would say eclectic but then we would have to have 30 minute discussion on its meaning and proper use so to avoid it I say nutcase. In her chaos and insanity, my mom love wildlife. Our house resembled a zoo more often than not. For several years growing up, my mom would call in the dogs and put out 2 extra bowls of dog food and watch the raccoons come in and eat mama and the babies first and after her the rest. My mom would occasionally take us fishing but more often than not forget on purpose her pole. She would open up her book and listen to the birds. If we forced her to fish she would throw out her line with no bait or lure. For years I thought she was the ‘unluckiest’ fisherperson in the world.

Unfortunately my mom passed away before I started down the pond road but even still her influence runs through me and into my kids. The kids are young but my son wants to be a farmer and paleontologist and my daughter wants to be a zoologist rehabbing rescued birds. For me, her influence is seen in the picture. What better way to spend the day than with your son (or daughter) getting your line wet catching walleye, smallmouth and catfish from your ponds while the wildlife (deer, birds, frogs, etc.) do their thing?

It has taken a lot of time and there is still a lot of work to do but when I look at the ponds, I see my mom’s reflection.






Miss you, mom…wish you were here…no fishing pole required!



here comes winter, time to start planning for next spring. Again, thanks to all for inputs and insights over the 4 year. Thanks for good inputs, Bob Lusk, Bill Cody, Ewest, Dr. Willis, and maqny others and the ridiculous inputs, teejay and others. Truely, without them, I would be even more lost than I am. Happy Holidays

Love this post!

Me too! You did good and your mom is proud of you and all you have accomplished!!! She will always be with you.

Finally, another milestone in the epic pond building saga. We stocked yellow perch in the perch pond. Yes, yes, I know, it really was not the perch pond until we stocked perch. You all are sticklers for everything.

Look at that smile!!! That what it is all about. Thanks to Keystone Hatchery. Great guys, great fish.

Hello again everyone,

So little time and so much work to do at the ponds that I hardly ever get on the forum site anymore. Hope everyone is doing well. I hope the perch like it.

PERCH POND


Now that the perch are stocked, I added the aerator and some tires as floating islands. If they work I will post more details on how. FREE and CHEAP are the words of the unemployed so I am trying different things. How does the rip rap look? I hire an rock specialist to fly in from Italy to hand select each piece of limestone then I placed each stone with great care by hand, 1 by 1.

LEAN TO

Built this lean to to hold the outdoor equipment. Pallets are free.

MY FRIEND


This frog is always in the same place, just sitting there. I call him Jeff Cote after a dear friend.

DINNER BELL


This is the navy bell from my Mom's Dad's ship he served on in the Navy (my grandfather). As kids when we were playing in the neighborhood, my mom would ring it, it meant we had 5 minutes to get home for dinner or bed. If you hear the bell ringing, come on over cuz its fish eating time.

Kurt I figured this must be your place as I was flying by and decided to snap a quick pic.

Nice picture of his place and nice of you to take it for him.

Looks like he still has the big pond to look forward to finishing.

Ponds turned out very nice kurt. Bet your family are enjoying them. They look very inviting.

Good choice on the Italian guy . Rocks turned out good.

Nice touch of elegance adding the solar lights to the used tire path.

Nothing wrong with recycling.

COOL P[ICTURE!!! THANKS.

So does this mean I need to now buy a plane to be a true pondmeister? Thanks again tnoble. Next time you are slumming it as a land lover, stop on by. I am there most Sundays and Mondays.

AWESOME PIC

"Idle hands get in the way of the Devil's work", Basil Fawlty. I try to stay busy so here is my backyard pond, 12x15 3.5 ft deep with shinners and fatheads. I will put in a few bluegill in the spring. We can fish from the deck and catch dinner!

Just what my wife wanted was another hole in the ground.

As another year of pond work comes to close, my son finally sees. feels and lands what the big picture is. He caught his first smallmouth and walleye. Nothing huge but a whole lot of fun!!!










This is what it is all about. Spending time together. Me doing all the work, My son getting all the glory.

Very nice Kurt. Makes it all worthwhile, doesn't it?

Been awhile. I apologize for no new pictures, I left the camera at home. Things are moving ever so slowly but most of the time they are at least moving in the right direction.

Next week I finish the crayfish pond. It is a small pond for crayfish population to get started then move them to the SMB pond as they become established.

SMB, WE and CC are doing well. I need to harvest 30 or so cats this summer. I just finished building a fish cleaning station so very soon the fun will begin.

As long as I have you here, quick question.

May 2014 I stocked 50 3-5" and 25 5-7" yellow perch into the perch pond. The pond is not large, 1/4 acre, max depth 8 ft. It is aerated. 1 year earlier the pond was stocked with fatheads and golden shiners. When the perch were stocked and even to this day, there are a lot of minnows running around the pond as well as all the other insect complements.

Here is the question and concern,

The first year we did not fish the perch pond at all, just allowing perch to be, but this spring I started trying to catch some perch to check on sizes and health. For 2 months (may and june)I caught nothing. I tried beetle spins, jigs, worms and minnows. Eventually, I started getting nibbles on the worms. I caught a couple of shiners (I remember Mark's article 'The Glory Hour') and then I finally caught 1 perch about 7 inches long.

Questions...
1. Is there just so much natural forage that the perch are hard to catch?

2. Is it possible that the pond is too small and the perch winterkilled? I have not seen over the year any signs of winterkill.


thanks

I have a ton of perch, and not one of them seems stupid enough to jump on a hook lately. I think they are a specific time of day fish, like just after the sun sets, or when you are trying to catch something else.

I doubt winter kill as they can survive very low O2 levels other fish cannot.

Try feeding them in the same place and same sun position every evening as the sun sets. They will hit surface feed once they are comfortable and then you can count them.

Busy, busy, busy. Just trying to finish up summer projects before starting the fall projects. With the fish doing well, it is harder and harder to stay on task.

I saw baby fatheads this weekend so 2 years after stocking walleye and smallmouth, enough fatheads are surviving to reproduce still. I try to move 1 lb of fatheads from my forage pond down every month or so to keep a supply. Something must be working cuz fish are growing and the smallmouth have spawned successfully two years in row.

If anyone in debate about stocking in northern ponds. Please consider smallmouth. I am so glad I listen to you guys and read Bill Cody's 5 part series on smallies. I had never caught a smallmouth until the pond, but WOW are they fun!! If you are thinking fish, follow Cornwell's baitfish cocktail article and then read Cody's articles. You will not be disappointed. We stocked the smallies and walleye in 2013, smallies 40 (2-4") and 25 (4-6") in a 1.25 acre pond. Low numbers, great growth!

back to fish, I mean back to work, wink.

Pondmeister junior



SUCCESS!!!


Two handsome guys, hard to tell who is younger. I still have it.


ornamental pond or something almost done.

Way to go Kurt!

Nice when a plan works out.

How do you know your are pondmiester? One way is when you spend several hours catching and throwing grasshoppers into pond to watch smallmouths come to surface and eat them.







My sons first officially caught and landed walleye