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Joined: Sep 2013
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I bought a piece of property several months ago with a small pond in the back. I have been reading a lot on here getting a game plan together. At first I was going to keep the pond as is because there was some decent fish in it already, but after much thought and thinking that I might live here for the next 20 years I decided to rework it. Here are some of my starting pictures. I didn't really do a good job of taking far view pictures but you can see it was overgrown with vegetation and cattails. It was also silted in up to knee high and there was some type of dam built at one time splitting the pond in half. The pond is long and skinny because there is a pipeline not too far from either side of the pond. I have some questions to come.

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To dig the pond out I hired a guy down the street who used to do a lot of road work and building work for my father a bunch of years ago. He used a very big excavator and made some quick work of digging out my pond after I had finally drained it down. We cut a few areas back, but the pipeline guys were not very happy about that. We also made a couple shelves, a small trench, a couple deep holes with vertical walls and some different slopes along the sides.

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Let me know if anything I am doing so far is wrong or just not to your liking. I'm trying to do this right the first time. I would like to have LMB, YP, and BG when it is said and done. The pond is about 300 long and anywhere from 40-70 feet wide. And, not too much deeper than 10-12' in the deep parts. My next step looks like I need to put in the structure/habitat. I have access to just about an unlimited amount of pallets and cinder blocks so those are high one the list. On one side of the dock I have my most gentle slope. I was thinking of making it a beach access and maybe a place perch would use to spawn. The rest of that corner would just about be structure free. Let me know what you guys would do for structure and/or what you think of my ideas. Under the pond dock I would like to put some type of structure. There are some old Christmas trees there now that need to be replaced with something. I would also like to make three pallet structures somewhere, maybe a cinder block pyramid as well. I also have some leftover crushed concrete I can put in there in piles somewhere. I am also open to adding in some small pebbles somewhere for the perch. Overall I don't want too much structure that I am overloaded but I really don't want to short myself on the proper amount of cover. I also might make two of those pvc trees and add some extra pvc structures for minnows. How is my plan looking? Is there anything I am doing wrong or something you can think of that I might be overlooking or forgetting?

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Also, the pond was dug with an excavator and the teeth left it pretty chopped up. The guy who dug it said it would lay down with some rain. Is that true or do I need to get some type of machine in there to smooth/compact the hole down???

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Hopefully there is enough clay content in the soil so that it will hold water once it's compacted. Typically a multi-tired pan scraper full of dirt or a sheepsfoot roller is used. Not a tracked piece of equipment because it won't generate enough pressure on the soil to pack it. Did you notice a clay liner in the pond under the muck as it was dug out? Or does the soil have enough clay in it as it is?

YP spawn on sunken brush and underwater weeds, they don't make nests like BG and they don't care for their eggs.

There is a good thread in the archives on structure for ponds.

Welcome to the forum!

Where is the water to fill the pond going to come from?


www.hoosierpondpros.com


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3/4 to 1 1/4 ac pond LMB, SMB, PS, BG, RES, CC, YP, Bardello BG, (RBT & Blue Tilapia - seasonal).
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I've spent a lot of time looking at structure and different types of fish to put in. I called some of the local fisheries and got an "expert" to come out and give me a quote to dig my pond turnkey. But, it was way over my budget. Instead I got the guy down the street to do it who has dug several ponds around me. The deal was that he dug it out for me and piled up the dirt and I would use my heavy ranch equipment to move the mounds of dirt later as I have time. I didn't realize how much that huge excavator would tear up the pond. He told me the clay was plenty deep were my pond was and that the clay would seal itself because of the deepness of it. Is this right? I've been looking at the sheepsfoot roller and I am thinking I should have done this. Can I just hope and prey that the pond holds water without going back over it or do I need to bite the bullet now and go back after him and pack it down.

As far as filling the pond.... I am not all the way sure yet. Most likely I am going to dig a new well 4"x600' with a 1.5HP motor. I'll use it for the house barn and pond at night. To get it full though from the start will take some time. I have a couple other ideas to fill the pond, but I'm not 100% sure if my ideas will work.

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thatdoggjake - good job, I really like what you have achieved in a constricted area.
Where on the coast are you located - with the torrential rainfall in some parts of Texas yesterday you may have a pond full of water this morning?

I'll leave advice to the pros but will share some 10+ years of pond experience. Depending on whether you are more interested in "catching" rather than fishing, there are lots of options available.

Good luck and WELCOME!
George








Last edited by george1; 09/21/13 07:32 AM.


N.E. Texas 2 acre and 1/4 acre ponds
Original george #173 (22 June 2002)




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Hi Thatdoggjack, I'm a novice here but it looks to me your pond is clay shy from the color I see. I am from east Tx and the clay is yellow to dark red. If it were me unless you do not mind pumping the water back out if there is a problem,just leave it. Most of the pro's here told me that my pond would be better off if I packed the bottom and sides. I drove over mine many times with my tractor and packed and packed. I did not have a sheepsfoot roller and took the chance,mine held and yours may as well. The packing may help some on turbidity too. I Think you said you want a beach/play area so that part would do very well by being packed.
The pond looks great though and the great pier will be a draw. In my mind the majority of structure would be best within casting distance of the pier. I would (and did) put spawn bed of other than YP on the west side if it gets the earliest sun and the most sun.
If you plan a bed(s) I would also say to keep the sand/gravel/ rock from sinking into the mud as fast,put down Weed control/erosion control /or plastic sheet. IMHO from what I have read and seen in pics etc. the #1 gravel/sand pack well drillers use, work real well for beds. Maybe your driller would sell you some as mine did to save some time and extra hauling.
I have a little structure in my pond (5 trees; 3 hardwood 2 ceder). As Esshup said read the articles here on structure. It appears to me from what I read that the white PVC type structure is not the most preferred. It seems from what I have read, fish like to be able to swim under a structure,through it and want a larger part of the water column(top to bottom),shade and access, shallow to deep, without having to leaving the structure.
I will build something this year in a gray or green tubing that is longer than tall and probably a few feet wide. I will let everyone here know how it works in the next year or two. Still reading and thinking about it as well.
Welcome and please take my novice thoughts with a grain of salt. Esshup and other pros here can give you facts instead of opinions like mine. They will and let us know how it goes because it looks like a great start.

Last edited by mpc; 09/21/13 08:50 AM. Reason: misspell

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A couple of thoughts about the fish you want. I've never heard of YP in Texas(assuming you mean yellow perch).

Second is the size of the pond for a BG/LMB mix. You have approximately 1/2 acre if I assume 300 ft by 70 ft. That's tough to manage for bass. It can be done but takes an awful lot of work culling. Bass can overspawn and over forage on the BG. Before long you have a bass heavy pond with a lot of hard to catch runts and some big bluegills.

You might consider Hybrid Bluegills and Hybrid Stripers with a feeder. I think you would be pleased.


It's not about the fish. It's about the pond. Take care of the pond and the fish will be fine. PB subscriber since before it was in color.

Without a sense of urgency, Nothing ever gets done.

Boy, if I say "sic em", you'd better look for something to bite. Sam Shelley Rancher and Farmer Muleshoe Texas 1892-1985 RIP
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If this were my pond, and it is not grin, I will tell you exactly how I would stock and manage – based on my experience – others may disagree, but it will work.

I am a believer of stocking the very best genetics available and with the perfect habitat you are planning, I would go with a pure Florida Copper Nose Bluegill with Hybrid Striped Bass and a couple or so female Camelot Bell pure Florida Bass to control over- population.

I note lights on your dock, so with electricity available I would go with a couple of ½ hp Kasco Surface Aerators - one would work in conjunction of a small bottom diffuser system.
I like limited structure in a ~1/2 acre pond with some 10 -20% aquatic “cover”.

Of course it’s not my pond, but I’m drooling over the potential of a long narrow ½ acre pond!

Check out Camelot Bell LMB if not famliar!
http://www.overtonfisheries.com/DesktopDefault.aspx



N.E. Texas 2 acre and 1/4 acre ponds
Original george #173 (22 June 2002)





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