Hey everyone, was referred to this site by another habitat site I frequent. I have 2 small 1/3 acre ponds on a hunting property, but have a natural bowl that I talked to an excavator about and this spring he's going ot put a legit pond/lake in it.

There are a couple springs coming out of the hill that'll feed it as well as rain run off. 3 sides will be natural slope, so we'll only have to dam off 1 end. gis map says we'll naturally be able to come in between 5 and 6 acres all told.

Laser says the deep end will probably be around 20'

I want to document the build and such, but will be trolling around here for ideas. Couple topics I'm interested in knowing more about:

1. Fish and Fish habitat. I think I have a big enough mass of water to do some pretty cool stuff with fish. We're goig to put a beach in for swimming on one end, and probably plan on that being our spawning area as well for bluegill.But with the depth and size, I thought it'd be fun to put, in addition to the standards of bass, bluegill (several breeds?), perch, crappie, What do you guys recommend? Also heard some cool stuff about wipers.

2. Fish Structure. There are some big sandstone rocks we'll be moving during excavating and I have all the trees/root balls I desire to put in the pond. If they're free on the farm, I'd rather go that route than pay to for something.

3. Dock. Would like to build a Tee dock or a sitting area at the end of the dock. No planning on a floating dock. Will put in pilings before the water fills.

Going to put a piped overflow in it, with an emergency spillway on it in case the overflow gets plugged or we get some sort of stupid amount of rain.

Not planning on mechanical aeration at this point as its in the back corner of the property and we don't have power right there.

Any suggestions, thoughts, opinions on the questions above. I have a lot to learn but have really enjoyed the solid ground aspect of deer habitat (chainsaws, plantings, native warmseason grasses, etc) so I'm excited to try it on the aquatic side of things.

Put it on me.

Greetings from your immediate South.

One caution made from the start: The last I knew, Ohio required an engineering plan/design for dams that would be impounding more than 5 feet of water (Bill Cody is one member likely to be on top of this requirement and there may be others). You should check into that.

1. Consider what fish habitat you may want done with dirt before the pond is finished, especially if it will reduce the amount of dirt that needs to be moved (e.g. underwater islands) and with it, cost.

You have lots of time to decide on what species to stock; start cautiously. If you only put in Fatheads, Gambusia, and (perhaps) Golden Shiners in the first year while it is filling, you will have a very good forage base for whatever ultimate predators you decide on.

2. Root balls may lose enough trapped dirt to float up after the pond fills - about half of the ones I put in did. I suggest staking/weighting any wood underwater structure down to prevent the possibility. This allows you to use submerged wood that doesn't have dirt affixed (I have a number of logs and even a "log cabin" in my SMB pond).

3. If placing posts for a dock before the pond fills, make sure they are good and solid.

Finally, the sage advice I give to all first-time pond builders: buy a copy of "PERFECT POND ... WANT ONE?" and study it. It's the best $27 you will spend on your pond's construction.

P.S. If you find/have a good pond excavator, let us know who it is. There have been at least two other Central Ohio pondmeister wannabees looking for excavators around here.

I loved the work my excavator did (not just on ponds), but he is no longer in the business. I think I'm done building ponds, but it is a recurring mental condition not easily completely cured.

Maybe think about a sediment pond that can also be used as a forage or grow out pond. If you have multiple areas where the water runs in, you could have more than one.

For a pond that size, I'd stay away from Crappie, at least for the first 3-4 years, and then only think about them if you can't live without them, but know in advance about their overpopulation issues. Hybrid Crappies might be an alternative, but again, only stocked after the predators are large enough to consume any YOY fry.

I would visit ponds with "beaches" that have been installed for a few years. I have found that a floating dock with a fold-down ladder is far more serviceable for swimming. Perhaps someone here who has installed a beach can comment?

I'd skip a sandy 'beach'
You are in ohio only gonna use it like 4 days a year

It'll be usable for a good 3 months.

It's only 4 days if you insist on sunshine.

was going to go with a pea gravel type of thing, not sand. But I see your point.

I figure it'd double as spawning grounds.

I have a friend with a gravel slinger truck who could probably make pretty short work of it.

Size of the pond has been reduced due to the volume of water we'd be holding. But still planning on being between 2-3 acres

You can split your beach into part gravel and part sand. Then after 5-6 years you can tell us which type of material worked best for your needs and goals. Others here will benefit from our knowledge.

I agree. Had a nice sandy beach put in that never got used for swimming. Pond plants and bluegill romance quickly took it over, nobody felt like wading in, much less swimming. Don't regret making it, as extra spawning habitat for forage fish is a plus, but dock is a better idea for swimming.

That must be tough fishing with a rubber hand. It was really a shame what Big Ern' did to ya. At least you had the last laugh with that fat check you got from Trojan. Do you still keep in touch with Ish and Claudia?

That awkward moment when you thought the OP's name was a nod to the Woody Harrelson character in the movie "Kingpin"... I'm surprised I didn't get a lot of puzzled reactions to my previous comment.

I was thinking, "They don't just smoke tobacco in Tobaccoville." Good to know that it was a Kingpin reference, even though I never saw the movie.

My experience with wipers is like most: They are fun. Unable to reproduce in a pond, so no risk they will take over. Tremendous fighters, too. Ohio climate is more salubrious for them than Texas, as they struggle in hot water & should not be targeted when water temps exceed low 80s.

I'd recommend you build multiple spawning beds at different depths, especially for bluegill, since water levels & clarity may vary considerably. You don't get nearly as many spawns as we do, so it is even more important that your fish not miss one.

Once you get the LMB well established, perhaps in a few years, you can even consider stocking a few tiger musky. Usual is about one per acre. Again, they don't reproduce, and they help control excess LMB numbers. TM get big & add an exciting element to fishing. Wish I had them in my BOW, but they can't handle Texas summers.

Final note: TAKE PICTURES of your structures & lake bottom, along with GPS coordinates. You'll be very glad you did when the pond is full.

Good luck!

Absolutely was a nod to Woody's character. "you don't wanna be munsoned out in the middle of nowhere"

I haven't watched that movie in years, but the name stuck with me for some reason. You're the first person to get the reference.

So well done on that.

Dirt's moving on Monday, and I showed my 9 year old a couple pictures of structures that people make, and the creator in him kicked into gear. He's very excited about Pex, PVC, and Barrels at the moment.

Yes! Now I don't feel so stupid haha. I started to think to myself, "Well, maybe his name is actually Roy Munson and he has no clue what I'm talking about." One of my all-time favorite comedies.

Brand new to the site/forum but what a great place.

I was wondering if anyone had come across any recommendations for folks who can excavate/dredge in Ohio, specifically someone willing and able in Central Ohio. Family property has a .3 acre pond which is 70 years old and needs cleaned out along with some work on the intake creek running in/around.

My 2 pond excavator is now out of the business due to dementia. The two guys we have used for general excavating since can't do ponds (one lack of equipment, one disabled after a single vehicle accident).

I know of two other Central Ohio members looking for excavators; have not heard that they were successful.

The Knox County Soil & Water Conservation and/or NRCS offices should be able to give you a list of local excavators (no opinions allowed, officially). If you get that, apply due diligence. (References!!!)