Pond Boss Forums POND CONSTRUCTION Renovating a Pond or Lake? Two tanks (ponds)!

Originally dug in the 1920's using mules and a scraper, the original tank was about .3 acres and about 8' deep. Even back in the 1970's when I was a kid fascinated by fishing, the fishing was good. I'd fill a stringer with perch (sunfish of all types), and bass. Recently when I built a dock, I noticed that the depth was about 3' deep with the rest being silt and sludge. A "friend" of the family planted water lillies and they grew out of control. In the past two years, they were so thick you couldn't fish at all so it was time to renovate.

Beginning last Friday, two guys with D-7's showed up. First they pumped it dry. Then they pulled the muck out and then they reshaped it. I must say that I am pleased. So right now I have a big hole in the ground. A blank canvass to paint on. I began extending the dock today. Already 16' long, it is now 20' long and the new part concreted in.

The berm was built up considerably. I am very happy with the quality of work.

So now, before the rain fills it in, I would like to consider a few experiments. Using tires and rubble for structure is nice, but I hate to lose a $4 lure when it snags on a tire. So I have a bunch of porcelain toilets. If a hook hits it, it slides right off (or so the theory is...).

Also, to keep it from silting so badly, is it advisable to cut a small berm a few feet below the waterline? That theory is that it catches the muck before it hits the bottom and when the tank is drawn down, I can use the front end loader or the small dozer (D3)to clean it out.

Ultimately, watering livestock is important, but I also would like to fish too. I have a 2 year old boy who will be about the right age when the fish are ready to bite.

The weather here varies from really wet years (40" per year) to really dry like this year (<15" in '08).

TANK 2:
Immediately upon finishing tank 1, they got busy with tank 2. It is small and always has been. The fishing has never been great either. It maybe was about .2 acres, long and narrow. It will still be long and narrow but hopefully with some excavation, we can make it longer, a bit deeper than its present 5' and I hope to make it a catfish-only pond.

So- if I stock catfish, do I have to feed or can they forage for themselves? Any opinions regarding stocking c cats or humpback blues in the coastal bend of Texas? Any recommended hatcheries? There is one just 3 miles down the road, but when I priced them a few years ago, it was cheaper (gas included) to drive to a town 60 miles away and buy from a guy than to buy from the guy a few miles away.

On the larger pond, I plan on stocking bass, bluegill and redears as per TAMU stocking recommendations.

I'll post pics tomorrow of what we've done thus far.

kjm, can you stick a small silt pond above the larger tank to catch incoming sediment there?

I would advise running a waterline through/around the dam to a point below it, which will allow you to water the cattle in a tank (trough) rather than in the pond (tank). I do this at both of my ponds (tanks); it eliminates all the wear and tear on the shorelines by the cows. If your climate is so hot that they need a wallow in the Summer, I understand.

You don't have to feed catfish, although they of course grow much faster if you do. A stocking of FHM would provide non-fed catfish with a foodchain.

Lastly, your idea of porcelain structure is brilliant! (My next pond will have a bathtub in it.) One word of caution on those toilets - remove the flush levers. That is one place that a lure could snag on and, if you happened to pull it just right and it stuck in the open position, could cause the pond to drain through the bowl.

Oh my god...I was following this and read it right to the end and was thinking..."what, I don't..." and daylight finally dawned. I deserve a smack from Grandma's flyswatter right now for taking the extra microsecond to figure that out...

I already have 100' of 1" sch 40 pvc pipe and the valves for the water line. I just wonder how he'll build up the berm around the line with the D7? That's a behemoth machine! It does get blistering hot. A mixed blessing is that when it is hot here, it usually gets to 80 -90% humidity slowing evaporation loss greatly (the air is near its saturation point).

I've done a lot of digging on the Aggie fisheries website which is full of good ideas if you have money to burn. I'm only incorporating the ones I can afford.

The porcelain toilet came to me during a major renovation (I am a facility manager by trade). I thought- what a waste to throw out these toilets, and then that afternoon fishing and losing lures, I realized that a toilet would make for good structure.

My son is in the plumbing supply business.
We have a "potty point" and several sunken bathtubs...

The burm idea is great for a pond that will have cattle, hadn't thought of that one. Those cattle will provide your pond with a good bit of waste and I'd figure on cleaning out that mess at least one time each year. The best time of year for this type of pond work in usually in winter, so you don't have to worry much about causing water quality problems.

If you are a catfish fan, stock both blues and channels, as each species exhibits different behavior and will allow for better fishing all-around. If you don't want to feed, which with cattle present may be the best route to take anyway, then stock baitfish like fathead minnows, golden shiners, bluegill, and tilapia. The tilapia will likely overwinter most years at your latitude and will help to improve water quality due to cattle waste issues.

Don't forget the importance of good aeration. If you'd like a price on your fish, delivered, please let us know.

Anxious to see the pics.

Theo

Any chance that bathtub of yours is on the end of a dock full of bass and you're forcing them into cannibalism?

You know, I thought the first part of that - the bathtub holding tank on the dock - wasn't a bad idea. When I get a dock finished near where I fish at (current dock is on the opposite side of the pond) I may try that.

P.S. LMB are natural cannibals, just ask any fish farmer who has watched 1000 1" LMB turn into 100 3" LMB.

Next you'll be wanting a free subscription to PB for all your helpful guidance...

Agreed - tub on the dock not a horrible idea.

OK, so a full year later, the bass stocked have grown to about 14" and look like they're in good condition. Some of the blue hybrids bought at Henneke are big enough to break my line and make me nervous about swimming in the tank. The bluegill after copious amounts of Aquamax are near trophy sized, but the bad news: I have gobs of 5" green sunfish and I don't know how they got there. I didn't stock them and they look like they are similar size. I am now trying to fish them out by rod and reel method, but will probably resort to a trap until the bass can take over in assisting with the reduction in their population.

All things said, by following the information I have received here, I am now very pleased with the outcome. So much so that I subscribed back in January. I am planning construction of two more bigger ponds.

As the theme from Jaws plays in the background.

You have any pics you can post for us?