Pond Boss
Posted By: Eastland New Pond Built ! - 05/31/08 07:49 PM
Hey guys, here are new pond pictures of the Playboy Bunny Pond “named by Eddie Walker” \:D The dozer work has been completed, total time was 100 hours. From the beginning we designed this as a fishing pond with an island in the middle. Now all I need is rain, lol…what’s that in Texas time, October?

The Dam :



Here is the back side of the island with a deep “Z” cut :



Below the gray clay, we hit brown clay at 12 feet. Here is the left side of the island, it’s 13 ft. deep…the straight drop-off should make for some fun swimming.



Here is the peninsula at the back of the pond between the 2 rabbit ears :



This is the right ear, I will place a deer hunting stand at the end on the elevated ground. It will overlook a food plot once I get the tractor back there for some shredding & tilling :



Here is the left ear, it has a little bend to it :



Here is the west bank then the east :






Front of the pond, then the back :





Can’t wait to see this baby fill up ! What’s the first word in pond management…patience, I’ll wait…and throw in a few prayers along the way !
Posted By: GaryTexas Re: New Pond Built ! - 05/31/08 08:55 PM
Looks really good. I love the sight of freshly moved dirt.

I may have missed it... what size will it be at full pool?

Have you decided on your stocking? What are you after for fish types?
Posted By: Eastland Re: New Pond Built ! - 05/31/08 09:37 PM
Gary, it will be roughly an acre, I plan on coming back and expanding it to the east when I free up additional "pond play money" in approx 2 years...there is enough watershed, and it's mainly excavated.

I'm a big fan of the diversified pond. For the first year, I hope to only have only forage like CNBG, BG, RES, Gambusia, & Golden Shiners...threadfins next spring "if I can get them". But my 1/3 ac. silt pond is upstream and could introduce LBM/CC if it overflows the spillway. I have culled 50 lmb from it this spring, everything less than 12" comes out...it has great forage already.

Once the forage base is in place, I will mass introduce the predators I love, run a Fat Cat feeder, and stock 10 lbs. tilapia every spring. 100 HSB top the list, 100 Crappie a close second, that combination works well despite the negative viewpoints some people have. 100 CC will be added for tablefare when they are in the 2 - 4 lb range. LMB will find their way in via the silt pond upstream.
Posted By: Sunil Re: New Pond Built ! - 05/31/08 09:46 PM
Congrats Eastland! I can't wait to see it fill.
Posted By: Brettski Re: New Pond Built ! - 05/31/08 09:47 PM
Very nice, Eastland. Welcome back to pond biz. I'll bet it feels good...almost like you never went without.
Now quit goofin' around and get that dam seeded! (razz)
Posted By: Theo Gallus Re: New Pond Built ! - 05/31/08 09:59 PM
Looking cool, Eastland. No Grotto?

 Originally Posted By: GaryTexas
Looks really good. I love the sight of freshly moved dirt.

Me, too. It gives me the urge to turn trash valuable stuff into structure.
Posted By: ewest Re: New Pond Built ! - 05/31/08 10:11 PM
Eastland great looking pond. I like all the depth changes (structure). A couple of things to think about (in addition to the normal ones like grass etc).

One would be to draw a overhead pic including depths and structure locations and other important factors (water inflow {ditches etc} , rock , points , bays etc). Then post it here. I still use the ones I drew 10 years ago. Footnote important items with actual pics.

Second think about best spawning areas and address those as well as feeder location , pier , boat launch etc.. Now is the time to add anything you might want/need to the bottom (lime , rock piles , sand , gravel , rip-rap).
Posted By: Eastland Re: New Pond Built ! - 05/31/08 10:19 PM
Theo, just wait, I have a LOT of junk going in there...an old headstone, part of a very old ford truck frame, a lot of the dead trees in the background, the list goes on and on, I will do my best to take pics as it progresses.

Brettski, this one is for you \:D I'm trying my friend, but that's a lot of trips with my tractor! How deep do I need the topsoil to be for seeding? Please say 1/4 inch, hahahaha


Posted By: Eastland Re: New Pond Built ! - 05/31/08 10:28 PM
Thanks ewest, unfortunately I have been trying to do most of that in my head, I know how everything changes once water removes the visual aspect. I will do my best to get a topo drawing in place now and post it. I'm already confused as to the best structure locations, and getting help here would benefit me greatly. I will have something soon, thanks for the idea!
Posted By: george1 Re: New Pond Built ! - 05/31/08 11:51 PM
Eastland - exciting report - thanks for sharing.
Especially since you are an old hand at this pond business.

Since you have had experience with HSB and they are at the top of your predator list, I would rethink conventional structure placement rcommendtions.

"Our" pond was planned for a HSB primary predator for my interest and for LMB for my son.
Consquently deep water area is devoid of structure, whereas the upper shallow end has structure for forage as well as LMB.

Spawning bed preparation for CNBG is not required in our area, since they will spawn "anywhere". When the bad drought of a couple of years ago dropped water level some 4-5 ft, we found literally hundreds of "nests" on substrate of bushy pondweed.

Thanks again for letting us share.. \:\)
Posted By: davatsa Re: New Pond Built ! - 06/01/08 02:59 AM
Nice pics, Eastland!

I love the peninsula...that will be a dynamite fishing spot (especially with a little gravel).

You may have to change your screen name...what county are you in now? \:\)
Posted By: Eastland Re: New Pond Built ! - 06/01/08 04:01 AM
George, while the first pond I built was larger in size, I made many mistakes in the planning stages and much of it was unfishable and shallow. I know for a fact that a pond with a dam backing up water receeds a LOT during a Texas summer. I ran into issues with pond weeds, getting the feeder to reach the fish, and placing the jon boat into the water without dragging it around. This pond is my excavated HSB prototype \:\) with massive watershed. I built this one with deep water HSB channels in mind. I'm hoping to come up with an aeration solution before I run electricity down the line...seems everyone hates wimdmills, somewhat stuck. I do not plan on placing any structure around the island, there will be idiots (me), jumping into the water to scout the fish with flippers, mask, and snorkle. i.e. redneck shock boat \:D
Posted By: Eastland Re: New Pond Built ! - 06/01/08 04:09 AM
davatsa, I can probably get the gravel in, but I don't know if the tractor can get out of the hole! I may be able to fill the bed of my Ram 1500, it goes anywhere \:\) But then, I would have to shovel it out...and brettski already has me working on seeding the DAM! (lol, in the middle of a HOT Texas summer)

p.s. Baylor, come and take it \:D As a Longhorn, I see the humor!
Posted By: george1 Re: New Pond Built ! - 06/01/08 10:48 AM
 Originally Posted By: Eastland
This pond is my excavated HSB prototype \:\) with massive watershed. I built this one with deep water HSB channels in mind. I'm hoping to come up with an aeration solution before I run electricity down the line...seems everyone hates wimdmills, somewhat stuck. I do not plan on placing any structure around the island, there will be idiots (me), jumping into the water to scout the fish with flippers, mask, and snorkle. i.e. redneck shock boat \:D


Russell, same here on our 2 acre pond during the drought - we took the opportumity to dig out the shallow cattail infested upper end of pond.

My thought, you have plenty of deep water bull dozer created "structure", to allow minimul shallower water "cover".
Great job... \:\)
Posted By: Brettski Re: New Pond Built ! - 10/01/09 12:57 PM
HEY....WHATEVER HAPPENED TO EASTLAND???
Posted By: Theo Gallus Re: New Pond Built ! - 10/01/09 03:07 PM
Did he sell his pond property?
Posted By: ewest Re: New Pond Built ! - 10/02/09 01:58 PM
He sold one and was working on 2 ponds on a different property.
Posted By: Brettski Re: New Pond Built ! - 10/02/09 02:28 PM
I met him and his Dad at PBconII, but have heard nothing much since.
Posted By: dwlinc23 Re: New Pond Built ! - 10/15/09 09:15 PM
any pics of it full?!?!?
Posted By: Fishman Dan Re: New Pond Built ! - 10/16/09 02:21 AM
 Originally Posted By: Eastland
Theo, just wait, I have a LOT of junk going in there...an old headstone, part of a very old ford truck frame, a lot of the dead trees in the background, the list goes on and on, I will do my best to take pics as it progresses.

Brettski, this one is for you \:D I'm trying my friend, but that's a lot of trips with my tractor! How deep do I need the topsoil to be for seeding? Please say 1/4 inch, hahahaha



Maybe he's in prison for a mass murder... ;\)
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