Pond Boss Forums INTRO New Forum Member Introduction Curious in the Piney Woods

Hello, Pond Fans!!

I just bought some property in the Pineys of east Texas. A few years ago, I found a thread started by a fellow who dug his own lake near here. He posted lots of pictures, including stuck back-hoe and everything. His project went on for a year or more, and I think it would be helpful if I could find that thread again. I have searched for it, but I can't find that thread.

Does that ring a bell with anyone?

Thanks for the help.

I am pretty sure one of the moderators might have an idea. Congrats on buying your property.

This it?

http://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Main=6594&Number=63879#Post63879

Thanks for the fast response. I am going to enjoy this site.

Welcome Buzzy. I sure wish I was a few miles further east like you and I'd have those pine trees too. I guess the pine trees start around Mineola and Gilmer.

The purchase was a defensive purchase to be sure I don't end up with "Trailer Trash Blvd" across the road from me. In that perspective, I am happy to have it. But I gotta figure out the means of turning it over for a profit. My interest in a pond - or several ponds - is part of that.

It has a 1,000 sq ft cabin on it that I am rehabbing. Today I had the thought that I could build three small lakes and lease the place by the week or the weekend for farm pond fishing.

Does anyone have thoughts on that idea?

Thanks for making me feel welcome at PondBoss.

Check out fish lease articles here http://fisheries.tamu.edu/pond-management/fee-fishing/ Theres a lot of information there to gather in. Hope to hear more from you. Love to see picture of the cabin

BuzzyG,
Welcome to Pond Boss. ..tons of good info and helpful folks here. Shoot us some pics whenever you start your project. Good luck!

Welcome BuzzyG,

I live in Upshur county as well. We have lots of good clay and plenty of water if you have a deep well.

If you are going to build multi ponds, consider at least one small brooder pond above any larger pond, so you can add, minnows, grown out CNBG, etc... That will save you a lot of money, in the long run. All IMHO. I am no pro, just a novice. Been doing this a few years now and must say, the ONE BIG MISTAKE I DID was stocking Channel Cat in my mainly CNBG pond. It is an issue now two years later.

I wish I would have dug a separate pond for them. Not too late, but just requires a reset, draining my pond,restocking, and digging stocking a separate CC pond BELOW my current pond.

I will have a brooder pond dug for my current pond this year for the above mentioned reasons and another one or two.

Get the book "Want a perfect pond" in the PB book store and Otto has a book on building a pond as well that could save a bunch of headaches.

The pros will kick in here when you tell the group what your goals are, how many ponds and runoff to pond(s), water sources, aeration or not, feeding or not, type(s) of fish you want to enjoy, chemical control(s) of weeds and water quality, hobby fisheries or more serious type(s). More details more help in other words. If novice help or opinions would help I will be glad to give them. I do aerate and feed my fish and focus on CNBG as he primary species.

Good luck and please keep us informed of progress. Last this I will say, is a leaking pond is not, nor ever will be a happy pond especially in East Tx. where rain can become very sparse at the worst of times. Dig deep and control erosion will help in the long run, again ALL IMHO.

Let me also welcome you here, BuzzyG. My pond is just west of Marshall, near the Upshur/Harrison county border.

Just from my experience, I'd endorse mpc's advice. But you'd be wise to get some input by the real experts re your individual situation, especially about soil conditions. Soil varies a lot, even within a local area. Turned out I had plenty of good clay, but someone a mile or two away had hardly any & bought some from me to build a dam. It's wise to check before you begin moving dirt.

Buzzy, a hardy welcome from THE Trailer Trash of the forum. Trailers are so cool I got two of em.

Hey, Bob-O

http://forums.pondboss.com/images/icons/default/wink.gif

No offense intended about the trailer trash comment. I have lived in mobile homes on many occasions. My parents still live in one, but they do keep the place up, as I bet you do too.

When you live in the country, you better expect some humble dwellings. And trailers can be among the nicest homes in the neighborhood. That is the case in my neighborhood.

But I have a buddy whose county road recently was lined with "vintage" mobile homes with little space between them. The landowner just could not resist all of that rental income. That is the situation I wanted to avoid with this land.

All the best,

Thanks, Joshua

Lots of information indeed.

All the best,

Hey, Zep

Pineys begin about Quitman/Mineola/Winnsboro

Sure a nice place to live. Retired from the metroplex and built a house in the woods. Love it!!

MPC,

Do you keep your pond full with your well? If I have the soil for it, I hope that I won't need to do that.

Sounds like your channel cat ate the CNBG?

How deep is your pond? Is that what you recommend when you say did deep? And by control erosion, are you talking about compacting the sides of the ponds and planting the banks?

So good to find folks with conditions that are likely to be similar to mine. Thanks for chiming into the thread.

All the best,

Anthropic,

When did you build your pond?

How deep is it?

How full is it now?

What sort of land was it in the beginning?

All the best,

Yo Buzzed, being new to the forum you probably don't know that I give everyone a hard time and the guys I like an even much harder time. There was no offense taken. FYI, I can take as well as dish out so if ya ever wanna dig me, go ahead but beware of reprisals.
Best of luck with your pond.

Hey Buzzy, Yes I do. In the summer with aeration, clay, not rubber/ plastic liner and two Oaks, one Hickory and one cedar sucking water, plus evaporation I can, on a windy day, lose maybe one inch. On non windy hot summer days, I may still lose an inch in two or three days. So a foot every two weeks is not out of the question and more on windy days, Like I said. I normally wait about two weeks and let the pond drop a foot or so, and if the 15 day forecast calls for little or no rain I kick on the pump, run it for the week or two it needs to fill the pond.

Depth on my pond is max about 14 to 15 ft, and an average of 6 and 1/2 ft. I had it dug that deep so when it finally slits in it may be about 12 ft deep max. If it silt fills to 10ft. max., I will drain, dry and re-dig to 18ft or so for my last dig and my time on this earth. If not then the 12 or so ft. will work OK for me.

I feel or would say you are right on the nail head about packing the clay/dirt well. I agree with the Idea of using erosion control cloth as much as possible around the pond back to 3 to 6 or so ft and leave the grass taller than normal for the hope of reducing the inevitable silting. With Erosion cloth, Grass grows better, faster and stabilizes the dirt a lot better than just the dirt, It is amazing the difference, I have found.

My first new pond year, I waited except the spillway to put down erosion cloth and wish I would had done it sooner. The following year I ran cloth around 70% of the pond and the last 30% I will get this year.

They do have sales on big rolls on amazon from time to time with free shipping and I have not been able to find it cheaper per sq. ft., even when the big box stores have their year end sale. IMO

I would say up to 25 or so ft. you would not be to deep in East Tx. If you can go that deep, with aeration, you have more acre ft of water for more fish, plus it could be a long time before the water depth would get too shallow and weeds etc. starting to be as much of an issue (i.e. re-dig). Steeper sides, packed and erosion cloth to help hold it back is better than having much shallow water. I too would say one small spot where you could, or a child could, swim/crawl out would be good, just in case.

The steep sides or a ledge of 12 to 18 inches all the way around can really help on the GBH issues we have and egrets too (wading birds).
All my opinion, but they do like shallow water and will most likely go somewhere else easier to hunt.

I logged about 1 million 700 thousand gal. of well water into the pond last year for a pond a bit smaller that 1 surface acre at full pool.

Hope that helps some and good luck. Let us know how your adventure goes.

Hey, Buzzy. Sorry I didn't see your questions earlier!

Built my pond last summer, finished about late July.

Max depth 26 feet, average depth around 10 - 12 feet. Dammed a pretty steep valley, not a lot of shallow water except for a few pebble-filled spawning areas we deliberately built in.

Pond just filled final three feet during the Big Rain last week, 9.5 inches around Hallsville. Here in Shreveport it was more like 18 to 24 inches, which I'm glad the pond didn't get. Who knows how the spillway would have held up?

Land was originally pine plantation, which it still is. Not best for fertility, as water tends to have low alkalinity & acidic pH. However, I quickly discovered that my property tax bill would go up 20 times (not 20 percent, 20 TIMES) if I didn't grow pines for harvest, so I just do the best I can with the hand I'm dealt.

All the best, and as mpc said, let us know how it goes!