i am constructing a new pond. i was hoping to have the bottom mostly sandy. this for a beach for swimming and to have more clearer water. like at a beach
i dont mine paying for the expense but will the water in pond still hold
and with this kind of enviorment what types of fish would be best stocked
If you have a sandy bottom, and no clay under it to seal the pond, then the pond will be at the mercy of the water table. I have a water table pond, and it will fluctuate 6' or more in water losses from Spring to Fall.
Same fish as was recommended earlier. Is this the 9 ac pond?
so it is best to have clay on the bottom first and then add the sand. to avoid loosing water.?? yes/no
and the species of fish was smallmouth bass(which will spawn) with the forage of golden shiners/crawfish with the seasonal stocking of the rainbow trout.
does this sound good?
also im more intrested in fishing and swimming in the pond. if i provide a good cold water flow during the summer. this is to avoid having the trouble of harvesting. if some the fish die, ill clean up but with a good coldwater flow how often would i need to restock the trout
Yes, Clay on bottom first, make the swimming side with a shallow slope, then have sand dumped down the side. In addition you could put some sort of retainers like RR ties or smooth stones as material dams to keep the sand from working all the way to the bottom. You can always dump more sand later, but taking preventative measures while the pond is empty will help.
Then let the pond fill and observe its temperature over the next year or so before stocking trout. If you have to pack clay in the bowl to retain water level, then you wont get much flow to keep it cold. You would then need to pump it in via a well, which is tough to do in a large pond.
IMHO a groundwater pond is lousy for swimming while trying to stock trout. *brrrr!* and the water level fluctuations.
Just as another point, make sure and get a pond building expert to your site to be sure it is even reasonably realizable. If you have a lot of sand in your soil, it may be more economical to use a liner than trying to bring in clay, and a liner is pretty much a perfect seal. With a liner, you may want a smaller pond, and if your water table is high, you can have a shallow well to pump cold water into the pond for trout.
Get the book offered on this site, "Perfect Pond, Want One?" it is a fun read, and tells a lot of stories of projects good and bad and gives some great info on how to choose a contractor or a primer on how to build a pond.
thanks man, ill also take a look at the book
i was also reading a another forum and i heard you can throw in pike to feed on small bass and trout and in the end you ll get larger bass, trout and fat pike
The problem is balance, the pike can also eat you clean if the pond is too small. You may be better off just harvesting out the medium-sized fish.
Lots of good stuff on this forum about all of these things, and I am no expert, just regurgitating. Ask about pike in one of the fish forums and see how others respond.
If you have a similar climate to me in Western NY, you may wish to stick with Smallmouth Bass or Walleye rather than Largemouth Bass. The latter will eat the ecosystem clean in ponds around us, making balance very difficult to achieve in a small pond without constant management. Talk to some local fish providers like Fingerlakes AquaCulture for recommendations and set your goals realistically.
walleye? how would they respond in a smallmouth bass, rainbow trout, golden shiners and crawfish envioment?
Walleye can be a bonus fish in a mixed community. WE work well with SMB and could help to thin fingerling SMB numbers. WE with existing LMB or SMB would have to be stocked as 10"-12" fish to insure survival. WE can be used as the dominant predator if one chooses the correct forage fishes.
walleye, smallmouth bass, rainbow trout, golden shiner and yellowperch