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#531663 03/08/21 11:00 AM
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Hi all, new member.

I am planning construction of a 1 acre pond in Ohio that will be stocked with LMB, BG / Red Ears and CC. The pond will be ground water fed and likely have very clear water. The pond will be oval / kidney shaped to follow the ground contours. Approximate dimension 120 x 400.

I’m looking for opinions on planning the contours of the pond. My initial thought would be an initial slope of 1 to 3 down to 5 feet, then a 15 foot flat constructed that extends around 50 to 75% of the circumference of the pond then the drop to 8 feet. Most artificial structure would be arranged on the flat, and an area of gravel for spawning would also be laid in. See initial sketch below.

Any comments/ inputs to this plan would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks, Tony

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My barely novice (and I use the word "novice" very loosely) opinion would be to avoid the shelf all together. Get as deep as you can as quickly as you can within reason. Your kidney shaped pond will have enough perimeter shallows for plant growth the way it is. And, if you get that clear water you suspect, the shelf will eventually fill with vegetation.

I guess it really depends on your goals for the pond, now that I think about it. I like bank fishing and 15 to 20 foot of potential snags and weeds does not sound all that fun. But, boat fishing is a different story...there, I rather like the vegetation near the banks and it's not as bad to deal with.

What's your goals and reasons for the shelf?

Welcome to the forums Tony!


Fish on!,
Noel
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Thanks Noel! I didn’t think about weed growth naturally occurring at five feet. If the shelf would fill with weed growth, that would be a negative. I assumed that with a fairly quick drop to the five ft shelf that weed overrun wouldn’t be an issue. Tony

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I could be off with that assumption, but a fertile pond bottom will grow some weeds in much deeper water so long as they can get light. My pond is so muddy nothing grows below a foot or so. What's clear water? lol


Fish on!,
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I agree, what is your definition of "clear water" and why do you expect to have it?

Plants and algae will grow wherever sunlight can get to the bottom of the pond, even further down than you can see the secchi disk.


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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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My yard is an old farm field low-ground that was once swamp land before the old farmers trenched in and buried clay drain tiles 2 feet deep to make the land tillable 100 years ago. The soils type is Carlisle Muck (black soft dirt) that is about 2 ft deep and is underplayed with very fine blue-gray homogenous silt down to at least 8 ft. The silt is water tight ( bucket test one week no leakage). My neighbor while trenching in a new utility line severed and cut off the drain tile last Fall and my yard now has a half acre of standing water in it up to six inches deep. Water is gin clear. Water is also clear in two test holes I’ve dug. I plan on the excavator digging 1 acre and forming a wide 4 ft berm to dam off the low end on the southern west side where I will install a drain pipe to the ditch west of the property (see picture).

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I don't believe I have ever read a post on Pond Boss where someone said, "I wish I had more shallow water in my pond."

The only exception I can think of, is people getting into the pond (you working, kids by accident) and not being able to get out due to steep, slippery slopes.

Perhaps, you should add one shallower "exit" slope with a shelf for BG spawning beds, etc., and make the rest of the slopes as steep as easily allowed by your soils and construction equipment.

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Agree with Rod. Strongly agree.


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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Excellent advise guys. Plan then would be to slope the majority of the pond at 3 to 1 slope directly from edge down to final depth with the exception of a single four or five foot depth flat area covered with gravel underlaid by geotextile fabric for BG spawning.

On the final depth number, suggestions seem to be that in OH I would need a minimum of 8 feet depth in 1/3 of pond. Assuming a 1 ft variation in seasonal depth, should I go down 9 feet from drain pipe level? Any advantage to deeper?

Thanks

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Your pond will start to silt up, literally with the very first fill up.

If you have lots of dirty surface runoff (plowed fields, etc.) or lots of leaf material (or other organics) blowing in, then your pond will silt up at a significantly faster rate than "ideal" conditions.

Still having at least 8' of max depth - five years in the future, will make the fish in your mature pond much happier.

No one wants to spend money on pointless items. However, I think most of the experts on Pond Boss would tell you that some extra depth is probably a very good investment.

My amateur advice, would be to keep adding some depth as long as the earthmoving is relatively easy going for you or the contractor. If you hit bedrock, or dig through your bottom clay into a sand layer, then back off - cover it with some lifts of good clay, and compact it in.

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Go as deep as the pocketbook, ground and slope allows.

People thought I was crazy when I renovated my pond and dug down to 22' depth. "There's no need to make it that deep, they only say you need 12'!"

Finished construction, left for a 10 day hunting trip in Wyoming. First night away Hurricane Ike rolled through the area dropping 12" rain in 24 hours. It washed 3' of sand into the pond. So, 22' depth went to 19' deep in the span of 24 hours.

Fast forward 12 years..... The rain shut off here in June 2020. Pond has dropped 7 vertical feet since then. Now the deepest part in the pond this winter was 10 feet. Pond surface area went from 1.1 to 1.2 surface acres to 0.44.

Who's the crazy one now??


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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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Originally Posted by esshup
Go as deep as the pocketbook, ground and slope allows.

People thought I was crazy when I renovated my pond and dug down to 22' depth. "There's no need to make it that deep, they only say you need 12'!"

Finished construction, left for a 10 day hunting trip in Wyoming. First night away Hurricane Ike rolled through the area dropping 12" rain in 24 hours. It washed 3' of sand into the pond. So, 22' depth went to 19' deep in the span of 24 hours.

Fast forward 12 years..... The rain shut off here in June 2020. Pond has dropped 7 vertical feet since then. Now the deepest part in the pond this winter was 10 feet. Pond surface area went from 1.1 to 1.2 surface acres to 0.44.

Who's the crazy one now??

You are the crazy one. (Crazy like a fox!)


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