Hey Guys!
Very new to everything that isn't in the city.
Always wanted to build a small reserve for wildlife to give back to nature a bit and bring the kids for some leisurely camping/fishing and finally ready to start doing that.
Subbed to the mag, read through a bunch of these forums, seems like yall are some good people
Definitely want to build a bass pond. Has anyone ever done this in the mountains of blue ridge, GA? I'm eyeballing some property backing up to a national forest, its got a spring and small creek so filling the pond should be fairly doable. In general there should be clay, what kind of testing should do before closing to guarantee that I can put a pond in?
I haven't seen a good detail on the day to day maintenance of a pond, Is there a period where a pond needs constant supervision? My campground will be used ~1/month for about a weekend-> week each go around.
My plan is to take a slow approach, Im gonna try to do a lot of the clearing/topsoil and then getting a contractor for the hardest parts (like a 67% chance I wimp out and have them do the whole thing ;)). If I get the first minnows in before nesxt summer I'd be shocked.
When the whole does get dug and filled, I'm going to start very simple with the plants, minnows, crawfish (frogs will make their own darn way) and make sure they are settled before bluegill get added in, and bass later. That should make my absence easier to manage since if i screw up the water depth/temperatures I'm not out too badly right?
I see a lot of info on ' get 300 pounds to stock a 1 acre pond' is there a reason I can't just grab a few dozen to begin with?
Weird question- is there anything I can plant outside the water that I could then toss in as fish food as a treat? Other things i can grow to attract/feed wildlife that are low maintenance (not necessarily to hunt them thought I'm sure my in laws will a bit)?
Further!
If a company advertises it makes retention/detention ponds, can they be trusted to make a fish pond?
Thanks!
A good question for Mr. Otto!
Surely you have a typo. 300 pounds to stock in one acre or 300 fish? 300 pounds of what? Just trying to get a better understanding of what you are wanting to do. I started from scratch and dug a 2 acre pond here in deep east Texas.
A couple of thoughts. First, a couple dozen minnows in acre(playing area of a football field) are going to have trouble even finding each other, much less reproducing.
START SLOW and make sure you understand your goals and that they are realistic.
Maybe a retention pond company can dig a hole and stop up one end. But, you are building a home for fish and for family enjoyment. . There is a difference.
Your first investment will be information/knowledge.
Start with Mike Otto's book "Just Add Water". Mike has been pushing dirt for a long time. Study dirt. Some of it holds water and some doesn't. A mixture of clay/dirt or sandy loam works best by an operator who specializes in ponds. There is no shortage of good old boys who can cut grade and clear out trees but, ask if they have ever built a keyway. Ask to see their work. My best advice on dozer guys is to drive around the area looking for ponds. If/when you see one stop and introduce yourself. Ask who built it and what would they have done differently. Who built it and would they use them again.
Don't get in a hurry.
Starting slow is the goal!
I'm very much a study first then apply studies kind of guy. Then slow and steady, probably give minnows etc a full year before putting in the predators. Good point for needing enough to 'find' each other.
I was hoping mike's book would be on Kindle but it's not, will probably grab it shortly, currently going through a bunch fo homesteading/fish raising books that are free on my kindleUnlimited.
To be blunt my goals are as follows:
Have a safe haven for my family to get away from cities should the need arise
Comfortable 'part time home'/vacation campground
'Give back' to the environment (by not overbuilding and planting/creating vegetation etc to attract and promote wildlife/pollinators/fish etc)
Create something that will show at least a small return on investment (not as an income, but improving the property value for if/when i sell it years down the road 5+years).
I read a recent post on here about a dad building a pond with his 9 yr old. Ive got an almost 3 year old boy and thats what I want more than anything.
And FWIW
Learn enough to 'Go Bigger' next time (5+ yrs).
The only thing I need to 'hurry' on is learn what to look for when buying a property, as i want to do taht in the next 60ish days.
Hey Guys!
I'm visiting properties tomorrow to purchase for my future mini farm/ POND!
Any good articles I can read today about picking the right site?
Note- site is mountainside in blue Ridge area of Georgia.
Lots of obvious stuff
Price/Taxes/Restrictions/Minerals
But; drive around and look at neighbors. They will be there when you aren't. I was once interested in a place as investment property. Then I drove down the road and looked at neighbors. About 1/4 mile away and adjoining, I found a scene out of the movie Deliverance. That made me pass. That property, although nice and attractively priced, was on the market for years.
Thanks! I'm in the RE industry so that kind of stuff I have covered.
Looking more at the pond specific advice!
Pretty sure clay wont be an issue, I think it's everywhere.
Anyone have a good trick to figuring it out (that would obv still need confirming from engineer etc)
You might want to look at some aerial maps of the area, on line. I would think that will make it easy to see how many ponds are in the area and make it easier to find them and drive by. Good Luck!
If there is already a small pond on the property is it safe at all to assume (for the sake of narrowing down my list before spending on an engineer) that Ive got the right soil around it to expand it?
No, for the sake of safety, that would take a soil survey in several areas. And, not just surface. But, more than likely, it would be a good indicator.
Hey Guys!
The property I like has a baby pond on it, andi think the rest of the entire mountain is made of red georgia clay.
Cursory review was that this pond did not have any fish in it and somehow very few tadpoles etc. Obv I haven't tested it for PH yet or things like that.
it did have an overflow set up that looks liek it has dug it's own creek into the side of the mountain, so I'm going to say 'definitely enough water here to go bigger'
Right now I think it's surface area is ~60'diameter which is about 2800 sq ft or ~.07 acres
Do you think this is a good starting point to raise bluegill for my first pond? Assuming everything else checks out of course.
Pictures being uploaded.
https://imgur.com/gallery/liLtErA^^^ This is what I like, the Wife isn't overly fond of it.
Ill post pictures of what she likes tomorrow, it doesn't have a current pond but plenty of watershed (mountain) and i think the whole mountain is made of clay so I will likely give her what she wants.
The developer/owner on this one said he builds bass ponds, I may try to get one included in the purchase.
If you buy the one with the small pond, you might want to consider using it for a sediment and forage pond if you have room to build the new one below it.
It looks like we're going for the lot my wife likes. Photos to come.
Goal is it get 2 side by side lots for a total of 3 acres. Not worried about watershed or clay at this point tons of it.
Good point about a forage pond. I brought it up today at the site since the are multiple good spots I think you put in ponds that ID guess are ~1/4 acre. Maybe bigger with more work.
I think starting with 1/4 for my first pond is reasonable get it stable and build another or expand.
Q- if I started with just FHM and goldfish would yall make fun of me? The goldfish should be easy eating fit BG and bass when I add then later. Any long term problems some big hungry fish couldn't solve?
Goldfish can become a problem. They can reproduce like crazy and become larger than your fish will be able to eat. If your after clear water I would stay away from the goldfish. I didnt listen to that advice myself but i only put in 3 also. I wouldn't worry about anyone making fun of you. Its not our pond you do as you want. I personally like goldfish (koi in my case). I hardly ever even fish my pond but I feed them every night. I would say on average I walk around mine 3 times a day throwing out feed by hand.
I think most just start with FHM. Some start with FHM,BG and RES. I don't think I've ever seen anyone recommend goldfish.
I would try your best to build what you really think you want the first time around. It will probably be cheaper and easier in the long run. But I do understand budgets don't always allow for that.
One of the fish stockers in my area recommend them. Being slow and colorful =easy to eat for the predator fish
I doing think they'd get too big in only a few months while I make sure the pond is built correctly would it?
As far as the design/build goes. If I find a reliable pond/lake designer will they handle contacting any gov agency or do I need to take that on?
One of the fish stockers in my area recommend them. Being slow and colorful =easy to eat for the predator fish
I doing think they'd get too big in only a few months while I make sure the pond is built correctly would it?
As far as the design/build goes. If I find a reliable pond/lake designer will they handle contacting any gov agency or do I need to take that on?
There's not really any advantage I'm aware of for stocking goldfish over other true minnow species that can't cause any problems. Why risk it? If you want additional forage species, let's get a discussion going about golden shiners and at your latitude, threadfin shad.
My pond will be in Blue Ridge/Ellijay Ga, maybe i should change my profile to reflect.
TBh I thought goldfish would be cheap and colorful. Plus the kids will like em.
If yall think its bad Ill skip it or dig a standard goldfish pond that is apart from my real one
http://lakework.com/fishery-management/fish-species-we-stock/^^^ pond management company that stocks goldfish as food for bass
My goal with stocking prey first is to stock the cheap stuff to make sure I can maintain it and add the big boys in later. I just dont want to 'waste' the bigger fish, maybe I'm crazy for thinking that way.
Can someone link me to a thread with the types of plants etc I should stock a brand new pond with?
https://imgur.com/gallery/o69YhiiPics of the lot my wife likes and I've taken a liking too, probably making an offer next week.
No pond yet, tons of watershed and I think the whole mountain is made of clay (ive got close up pics of the dirt in there i think)
Link to info on Georgia red clay
https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/ga/soils/?cid=nrcs144p2_021871^^^ that stuff should be kosher?
The whole thing is going to turn into our 'prepper' spot. Farm, fish pond. Maybe some free range chickens. Will probably be there 1 week ish a month after we get it going. Parents have a huge cabin nearby so more likely we stay there and come here to work the farm until we build a house etc.
A friend of mine tried free range chickens. They fed the free range coyotes on his game cam.
My pond will be in Blue Ridge/Ellijay Ga, maybe i should change my profile to reflect.
TBh I thought goldfish would be cheap and colorful. Plus the kids will like em.
If yall think its bad Ill skip it or dig a standard goldfish pond that is apart from my real one
http://lakework.com/fishery-management/fish-species-we-stock/^^^ pond management company that stocks goldfish as food for bass
I'm not going to second guess Greg!! If he has a stocking plan for you I'm not gonna mess with it
THat guy is reputable? Glad to know! Any links to articles and stuff he's done?
Further question-
Has anyone attempted to raise any kind of fish for profit from a smallish pond? This would be for much farther out for me, but would love to read up on it!
Yes, this could be done. The key to making a profit is to raise desirable fish, invertebrates or plants where you have a specialty market (buyers) and use a specie or species that would be a niche market where few or no others are raising what you have. Members on this Forum are a niche market. Find the demand and then study how to do it and fill the demand. Many on this forum look for growers of the easy to raise grass shrimp. You could sell thousands of these. Be prepared to utilize good shipping and sell healthy product and at a reasonable or low price and you will definitely succeed. Learn to grow one or two species well then if successful you can expand to other species.
Fish that would sell well for what you could raise in a limited space small pond is a southern adapted yellow perch FL or GA strain, pumpkinseed sunfish, papershell crayfish. Since you are in GA learn how to raise some of the southern Cyprinella shiner species such as the fieryblack shiner, Alabama shiner, Satinfin or steelcolor and you can easily sell these shiners to specialty pond and aquarium people. If these species are reported to spawn in an aquarium one should be able to figure out how to get them to spawn in a pond even if you had to create current conditions using aeration. I will be your first customer.
Some good plants to raise for sale would be varieties of Louisiana iris, dwarf sagittaria and corkscrew eelgrass could be grown with grass shrimp. Ship plants in summer and critters in cooler months.
Good news,
Did a bunch of phone calls and it sounds like I shouldn't need any special dispensation since my pond wont be near any rivers/streams.
Hand of land development is going to drive by and give me an eyeball to confirm that.
Working through bank stuff- ANyone have an easy touse lender to buy land in Georgia?
I can't speak to Georgia banks. But my personal experience with banks has been when I really needed money I could not get much of a bank loan, but when I did not need the money they would come out of the woodworks trying to loan me more than I might want or need.
Confirmed! All i need is a $50 dirt disturbing permit
Bill- Thanks for the tips! Very interested in researching that more.
A quick search shows me... almost nowhere in the south east to find grass shrimp. Or am I looking in the wrong places?
Any good literature on these guys?
Also- Why aren't freshwater crabs discussed in the same vein as crawfish? Low reproduction rates?
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081003191417.htmHow crazy would you call me if I tried growing grass shrimp in my back yard before i buy my farm/pond location? Hardest part would be selling my wife on the idea and keeping my dog out of it haha! (yes I know growing them would also be hard, but you havent met my wife!)
Evidently farming blue craps is being researched and tested. It is very new aquaculture animal and techniques are still being worked out. It looks promising. Winter survival is still a big question. I think these crabs will not reproduce so new ones need to be stocked each year. The plan has possibilities.
Another small aquaculture option is growing large edible shrimp (known as prawns) in a pond. The technique has been done and perfected for several years. This has been done in small outdoor ponds as far north as Ohio. You buy the tiny hatchling shrimp, feed and grow them all summer and harvest them in fall for market - friends, family or farmers market.
Lots of grass shrimp commonly occur all across the southern US . You are likely not looking in the right places. Many anglers use them for panfish bait. Check with some of your local bait shops for a beginning source. Grass shrimp are easy to raise and can be raised even in an aquarium. An outdoor pool would surely work if prepared correctly.
Starting my bank applications today, fingers crossed I can make an offer tonight.
More Qs-> My pond will be at the bottom of a hill. At the top of the hill I will be doing some very light farming (less than 1ksq ft of farm prob).
What should I do to lessen the effects of anything I do on the 'farm' on the pond? If I plant a bunch of bushes in between would they filter most anything out?
Im my non expert mind it will depend on what you plant and put on the plants. If you just put in vegies and dont fertilizer I don't think you will have a problem. I would wait til some of them with more knowledge chime in tho.
How silly of an idea would it be to but 5 or 6 bluegill in a large tank at my house here in Tampa so I can start growing them and then move them (10hr car drive) to the pond when it's built?
I wouldn't think it would be worth the trouble. Thats a long way to try and keep them alive.
Old banking idiom: Never lend money to anyone unless they don't need it.
@bing LoL. The reason Ican't pay cash is in the last two years family has had 20k+ in ramdom medical bills (8k alone for a bronken pinky[mine]) plus braces, wifes dental).
Gotta just win the damn lotto.
Banks should bend over backward for me, but they jerks :p
Random question that is probably answered in the book I just ordered from PB->
How do you 'start up' the pond for phytoplankton etc? Do I let a few wheelbarrows full of leaves die in the pond? Start a compost of some kind just for the pond? Just buy fertilzer like a lazy dude?
Do the branches/logs I'm going to use to build structure provide enough of a starting point? Leaves on or off?
Have any of yall been affected by USPS as far as shipping fish?
I'm pondering trying to get some blue crabs to breed in my backyard and then bring em up to Ga. Could be a fun project. Anyone have a good book to read on the subject?
crap i got another question-
How worried do i need ot be about ruining the bottom of the pond? Assuming its well built if i wanted to bury a pvc pipe or something could i do that or just lay it on top?
PVC pip 2" or less in diameter would soon be covered by dead organics and other wind blown in materials. I would just lay small diameter pipe on the bottom. If sealed it will want to float so some weight would be needed to hold it on the bottom. Hose 5/8" ID needs one half pound of weight per foot to hold it on the bottom.
I would not add organics to the pond to create a plankton bloom. Use fertilizer prepared for pond use. But first before fertilizer measure the alkalinity. Water alkalinity needs to be above 35 and better at 50 parts per million for good plankton growth. Otherwise fertilizer does not work. Before you start fertilizing a pond read through this found in our Common Pond Questions section (Q&A) .
https://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=96127#Post96127
Ive been reading through those lots of them need updated links inside the threads because they are dead ends
Ive been reading through those lots of them need updated links inside the threads because they are dead ends
Use Texas A&M for water testing:
http://soiltesting.tamu.edu/files/waterweb1.pdfSelect aquaculture
Didn't know A&M did pond tests. I used both them and the Fort Worth water supply people for my well.
I feel like there should be something closer in Ga....?
I feel like there should be something closer in Ga....?
I don't know -- our pond is in MO and we used TAMU because the Univ. Missouri water testing is for ag purposes (irrigation) and didn't report on the right numbers for us.
Maybe try UGA?
http://aesl.ces.uga.edu/http://aesl.ces.uga.edu/feeschedule/?W34D Pond Water Quality (W1 + W18) and Algae Testing Kit
Each kit contains 3 plastic bottles with one bottle containing a Lugol solution.
Estimated turnaround: 5-7 business days upon receipt at the lab
110.00 SPW
Interesting read.
Im preparing for the worst (not getting my target property)
However it may end up being a blessing as there are still properties I like and I think my wife will nearby. Some already have ponds, though not all are private.
Any success/horror storries about sharing a pond with 1-2 others?
More questions-
I've seen no mention of mussels as forage. Ponds too stagnant for them? Georgia has a few native species.
I think results are mixed on sharing a pond. I personally wouldn't want to do it.
Downsides are about like sharing your patio. But really, If you set a goal or a management plan, it only works if everybody is on board and follows the same rules/ goals and expenses.
Touche.
In other news I got my copy of JUST ADD WATER
What should be my next book purchase?
Touche.
In other news I got my copy of JUST ADD WATER
What should be my next book purchase?
Perfect Pond, Want One?
Lusk's first book was Perfect Pond, Want One? It's good and gets down to basics.
One really good one is a college textbook by Professors Wes Neal and Dave Willis called Small Impoundment Management in North America. There are mostly chapters in it by Lusk, Otto and other "boots on the ground" professionals. With my lousy memory, I refer to it often.
Of course, you offering a donation boco?
Wait, is that the title?
Welp...
Has anyone ever done aquaponics with their pond?
I have read here or somewhere that where some have grown Lettice using floating islands in there pond.
What do you guys plant around your pond?
Obviously not on the Dam, but otherwise what flora do we like to use? How bad an idea is it to put a tree near the shore so that the roots provide natural cover/habitat?
Big trees suck a lot of water. How much? I don’t know But I’m loaded with oaks and cedars around both of mine.
What do you guys plant around your pond?
Obviously not on the Dam, but otherwise what flora do we like to use? How bad an idea is it to put a tree near the shore so that the roots provide natural cover/habitat?
Like DD said, trees suck a lot of water, some more then others, but in turn, the shade benefit they provide for the fish is very beneficial, imo, I have had some pretty decent luck fishing along shaded banks on a hot summer morning when i didnt make it to the pond as early as I might have. after they quit biting on the direct sun soaked bank. Its sort of a matter of how much water you can trade off for the shade.
I have trees completely surrounding my pond, dug it in the middle of the woods, and haven't lost three inches of water all summer, it might go down an inch or two and then get another rain that bring it back, a dry summer would be a good bit different.
Here's another super important question.
Is there a mega thread somewhere with pics of everyone's ponds and if not.... WTF ARE WE EVEN DOING HERE?
I started a thread called "Pond Porn". Welcome to add any pics ya want. It hasnt took off like I thought it would but also some cool pictures on there.
Link it to me baby!
Who else has a MUTT pond? Loving mutt pond thread
TBH this is more interesting to me.
When I get my pond running I want:
1-Good place for wildlife to come
2-Healthy almost self sustaining population of fishies
3-Occasional Food source
4-Lots of fun! Fishies of all shapes and sizes.
Sounds like my type of pond.
Pond Porn
ANyone ever heard of a lender/bank that will finance the construction of a small fish pond? Looking for easier ways of making my dream happen faster
I mostly havent posted many pictures due to the fact that my iphone takes pictures that are too big to post, have been able to downsize a couple and make them fit but havent found a great way to do it.
I'm currently financing mine (or at least $7500 of it). When they asked what it was for, I just said we recently moved and needed to buy some stuff for the house (which isn't a lie), so they wrote it up as a home improvement loan. I don't know if the outcome would be any different if I said it was for a pond, but I didn't want to risk it. The lender I use is One Main Financial, and I believe they have them in your area. If you do a secure loan (have a car or something valuable as collateral), they're quick to approve you.
Mmmm interesting steve, thanks! I could likely get a loan of that type from several online banks or my own.
Im starting to facebook shop for cheap things to put in my pond. currently own 10 buckets that will turn into habitation and starting to collect pallets.
In the meantime Im going to put plants in them until they are big enought o go into the ground.
Also- I saw that picture of a fish jumping and eating berries... have any of you planted any kind of tree/bush for that purpose? What kind?
Im starting to facebook shop for cheap things to put in my pond. currently own 10 buckets that will turn into habitation and starting to collect pallets.
In the meantime Im going to put plants in them until they are big enought o go into the ground.
I'm also doing the same, lol. I plan on hitting up the home improvement store this weekend, and make some PVC structures. I see lots of free or cheap pallets and cinder blocks on Facebook, so I'll probably snag some of them, too. I also need catfish spawning structure, so I'll probably need a large barrel of some kind.
Also- I saw that picture of a fish jumping and eating berries... have any of you planted any kind of tree/bush for that purpose? What kind?
Not sure what you're referencing, fill me in?
Is this the picture your are referring to.
fish jumping for fruit
Yes it is.
Also- What are the pros/cons of draining/rebuilding an existing pond that you dont know much about?
Another question-
It isn't about ponds its about... creeks and rivers.
Some of the property i'm looking at is bordered by large creeks and rivers.
How can I attract fish to my portion of the property? Would an auto feeder do the trick?
(until I build my pond that is)
I have a Bayou "feeder creek" to Caddo Lake that passes through the bottom land at my place. Water volume changes can be major during certain times of the year. At other times it never goes dry and will pool up with a small current that runs into the lake. At my place i would not set up a feeder but if i lived there i would try hand feeding for awhile if I could do it daily. There are not a lot of numbers of fish but there are always fish there. I have not tried to catch any but pretty sure there are some Green Sunfish in there along with some native minnows. And I suspect some catfish might be there in some of the deeper pools.
I have thought of adding some of my pond cull's of the lmb to the bayou but never have.
Link to a picture of the pond/land I'm looking to purchase.
What kind of water test kit, if any, should I bring with me next weekend when I go visit it? If the source of the spring is not obvious is there a way to find it?
How far back should I cut those trees, which types of trees are hazardous to ponds (tannins etc).
There is a well tapped to a spring, which I assume is the same one, how can I determine if they are the same spring or not? How bad is that?
Can anyone interpret the soild data i posted fromthe ounty assessor?
https://imgur.com/a/h0Pirew
Hey Yall- More questions!
If I were to stock completely YOY, how long should I wait before 'bucket stocking' some larger fish?
If I were to overstock the fisn in an ~1/10acre pond what happens in the near term-> 3 years? Assume only FHM, BG, LMB.
Goal being to get fishable predators as fast as possible. If that is the goal do I overstock the FHM only? OR stock all normally and add some older ones later (bucket stocking or purchase)?
Has anyone ever runa pond where Rainbow Trout were the top dog?
It's been a really annoying few weeks.
Short version- The Pond I was going to buy in Ellijay, Ga turned into a bust. Seller killed the deal. I may try again in a quarter or two unless something else comes along. Was a great spot.... Anyway.
I'm checking out two more ponds in the next week, one in Ellijay and one just down the road here in Florida. The one in Florida covers most of a 12 acre parcel, and we'd be able to use it a lot.
The other one in Ellijay has lots of potential with a 1/2 acre pond already.
X your fingers that I can get my new camp sooner rather than later.
Consider the expenses of maintaining a 12 acre pond. Ask Fire is Hot about it.
DD1 is correct. When you get into the double digit pond sizes, just add a comma to the potential dollar amount spent. I might do some research on the 12 acre pond and it's history before I made a bid.
Hi guys,
Still really bummed about the previous deal not going through, still hoping that seller will get less crazy somewhere around Q2 of next year.
I visited the pond that is on the 12 acre Parcel in florida. It's not exactly what I'm looking for but it's got some good upside too.
There is ~3 acres of good dry land for some atv/dirtbike/camping fun.
It seems to be a fairly natural florida "lake" and about 1/2 is on the neighbor's property (not ideal but not a deal breaker for me). Whole thing is probably 8 acres or so with big deep sections that are around 10' during dry season.
Being a natural florida lake that means it's fairly swampy. Aside from the "lake" bit there are several acres that look to always have a few inches andup to a foot or so duing the rainy season.
It may be possible to build out some dams to control this better, and luckily down here I have a good dirt guy who owes me pretty big. Maybe I can get him to do some work to pay me off.
It's definitely got some fish in it (bass tilapia and bluegill probably some kind of catfish and gar), but its not chok full. Probably the alligators got em
. Could be a fun spot to start off without having many expectations beyond adding some fish every year and a few feeders and seeing what happens. Especially if I can get good terms from the seller. Looks like a nice spot to put in a canoe and paddle around, maybe a jet ski (its deep enough in large parts). Keep things i catch elsewhere and move em over. Ya know, just fun.
Since we are also moving to a house with more land so we can do some self sustaining gardening/light farming I'm also considering experiment with aquaponics which would result raising some forage fish (shrimp, bluegill ) which I could bring over to the lake. I'm going to do a second trip later in the month.
Up in Georgia right now, if the weather cooperates Ill check out the one up here this weekend. Its closer to what I was initially looking for. ~8 acres with 1/2 acre pond on it in an area I can probably rent the site out as a campground when I'm not on it to help support my bass habits (get it? Im hilarious)
You'll get there! I can tell you don't plan on giving up till you do.
Bobbss-
There's a weird opportunity to buy a cheap Island about 2 hours north of me in Florida that might delay my pond. I mean... who doesn't want to own an island?
Getting machinery to put a real pond on the island would be.... not a thing. Maybe I could do it slowly over a few dozen camping trips with rented equipment. Gonna check out the island next week.
At the moment I think I'm leaning towards the 12 acre parcel that has the big lake/pond on it that is slightly shared.
Im going to go back out this week or next and walk it again, I think there are ways I can dam up at least 1 large area to make a private pond section, and I'd also like to add pond space by another Dam for raising of forage (tempted to have a pure PK shrimp pond to see if I can get a good crop going for sale/feeding main pond).
Also looking into some smaller livestock to forage the rest of the land. Any particular livestock "bad" to have around a pond?
Is there anything I could raise (or grow) that would be beneficial? Especially if it keeps flying predators away.
X your fingers for me guys, I'm opening negotiations on this...
13 acres total. ~6 acres of it is half of the 12 acre lake in th epics.
Plent of space to convert into private ponds/grow out ponds.
Plus space for a few heads of livestock, wild hogs and turkey/ducks...
Great spot for a private campground, when the bass are big enough and we are all vaccinated Ill bring yall down
https://imgur.com/gallery/KurbcQ1
Hopefully going into escrow tomorrow. I have big plans for this little spot! I added an overhead showing what I'm going to do.
Grow out area for fish before letting them into the larger lake, some animals on the dry ground.
Next year likely netting off more areas for raising F1s to sell.
https://imgur.com/a/KurbcQ1