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Hi everyone,

We are looking to build a ~1 acre pond for recreational use including fishing on an adjacent ~15 acre property that we will be purchasing later this year. I'm in Indiana here, so according to the Indiana DNR the best/easiest mix of species is largemouth bass, red ear bluegill, and channel catfish, and they recommend a depth of ~10 feet. Where the pond would be dug would be on a higher part of the property, but in a Brookston clay loam soil. I'm not sure if the water would just fill in naturally (as this clay soil has a very high seasonal water table (1-3 foot deep) in the winter), but worst case we could pump it full from an adjacent stream or from a well we have. My understanding is that if we can get the pond full, this would be ideal as opposed to a pond filling naturally in a lower spot from water runoff which would be a lot dirtier and result in not as good habitat for the fish. I'd love to get some ducks on it to have good hunting as well, but from what I've read it's tough to have a good fishing and hunting pond as the ducks need shallower water while the fish like deeper water.

So from those of you who have had ponds built, what advice do you have? On selecting the right contractor, things you would do differently, trying to make it good for fishing and hunting, mistakes to avoid, etc.?

The contractor I had come out and give an estimate threw out a ballpark of ~$20K for the project. He said that the dirt I could sell from the pond could more than make up for the cost of the project (~500 loads of dirt @ ~$100/load). Does that sound feasible?

Apologize if I've missed some FAQ that would have answered these questions.

Thanks.

Last edited by Bulldozerman; 02/06/18 11:35 AM.
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Welcome - You have a lot of homework that needs to be done. A good fishing and hunting pond is as you mention on opposite ends of the spectrum. If you have only one pond then you have to establish which goal best fits your desires. If you want good duck hunting with a fishing pond then build a sizable wetland in the upstream water shed or near the inlet of the fish pond. The wetland will also filter water to create a better pond water quality & habitat for fish. There have been several articles in Pond Boss magazine about building waterfowl oriented ponds. Proper introductions of native plants that favor waterfowl have also been discussed in the articles. Do some homework for those articles by collecting the back issues.
Here are the waterfowl oriented articles back to 2004. Not much prior to that.

Waterfowl Pond Info Articles In Back Issues of Pond Boss Magazine.
May-June 2017: PREPARE FOR WATERFOWL SEASON NOW. VanSchaik tells how to best host dabbling ducks, perching ducks, geese, and what preferred natural forages & grain crops to be best used in shallow impoundments. Placement of hunting blinds.

Mar-Apr 2014 . IMPOUNDMENTS FOR WATERFOWL. VanSchaik provides the goals for these impoundments, design, size, food strips, and types of birds that will utilize the area

Jul-Aug 2014. NATIVE PLANTS FOR WATERFOWL. Van Schaik reviews the food value of 24 types of plants as food value for waterfowl.

Mar-Apr 2007 SHALLOW WATER IMPONDMENTS. Wyman provides an introduction for a series of articles that will explain how to build water features to attract waterfowl.
IT’S A DOG TRAINING WORLD OUT THERE. Mike Otto examines the specialized ponds for training Labrador retrievers of John and Martha Russell. Included are unique features of slopes, proper depth, shoreline shape, freeboard, spillways,, anti-seep collars and use of topsoil that are required to build ponds for training dogs.

May-Jun 2007 DUCK LAKE. Wyman describes the planning of a 14 acre lake with a water fowl marsh.

Jul-Aug 2007 PLAN FOR FALL WATERFOWL NOW. VanSchaik explores fish ponds that can attract waterfowl. Various waterfowl defined, intense management discussed, included is staggered planting dates, native vs cultivated plants, nutritional value of native plants and importance ratings of 25 native plant groups.

Fish pond maximum depth will depend on your location in Indiana. Northern IN should have deeper depths to reduce chance of oxygen shortages and winter kill during harsher winters with extended deep snow cover compared to southern IN. IMO northern IN should have ponds that are closer to 15-18ft of depth for 20%-25% of the surface area to reduce chance of winterkills especially as the pond becomes older as in 20-50 yrs and is eutrophic from plant nutrients that are accumulated each year. Build it correctly the first time. If you don't want a leaker pond then read through this thread.


Last edited by Bill Cody; 02/06/18 11:37 AM.

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Thanks Bill. I am in north central Indiana (zone 5b), the coldest it gets most winters is probably -15 to -20 degrees a few nights. Fishing would be the primary goal of this pond. Hunting would be a secondary goal, I was thinking to build the northern edge of the pond with a thicker shallower edge to try to get some duck interest (as the only safe way to shoot is to the north so that's where I'd want the ducks to be).

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Very important information when designing and building a pond with minimal chance of significant leakage.
http://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=92487#Post92487
Small shallow areas especially without proper habitat will not attract very may waterfowl during the migration. IMO your best success is to build a well designed fishing pond and stock it to best fit your angling needs and not necessarily the standard DNR guidelines. Lots of excellent alternative stocking combinations have been discussed here.

See some of the fish this member produced. But you have to do it correctly by learning techniques on this forum or if you just stock and forget it,the fish grow to just average sizes which happens in many ponds.
http://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=485555&page=1


Last edited by Bill Cody; 02/06/18 02:07 PM.

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I would recommend getting multiple estimates and also using the pond builders / contractors as a resource for ideas. Ask them lots of questions. Most of them would or should somewhat be familiar with the soil in the area. When I had my pond re-done I noticed that the prices varied quite a bit from one contractor to the next. Some will just eyeball it and throw out ball park numbers, others will take samples and really get involved in the process. It's nice to hear what all of them have to say and then develop a game plan accordingly.

I would also not count on being able to sell the dirt. If you can sell it then that is nice, but you must also factor in the cost to load the dirt, haul the dirt and unload the dirt which for to me is not worth it. Fortunately in my case I use the dirt as a barrier wall to the neighboring property and it works out well.

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Cheapest contractor is usually the least qualified in terms of a well sealed and well compacted pond to minimize leaks. IF the result is a leaker pond it will take as much or more money to find the leak and get it fixed as it cost to build the pond. I know people that tried to get their leak fixed several times and they still have a leaker pond.

Last edited by Bill Cody; 02/06/18 02:16 PM.

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Do your homework in selecting a pond builder. The excellent pond builder that dug my first pond (and then a couple shallow duck ponds) retired. I went through 4 builders on the second fish pond to get things right. I built the 3rd pond myself and I do not enjoy operating a dozer. Be sure the contractor can explain a core trench and how to seal a pond unless you want your's to be a training exercise:(

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Hi bulldozerman, any update on this? I’m considering a 1.3 acre pond on my property in Indiana just north of Fort Wayne. Been reading and researching for a couple years now, but new to the site. I have completed my own cut/fill design in autocad (unfortunately I’ll need to move about 14,000cy for a pond with an average depth of about 10ft. Now I’m starting to think about potential contractors. What contractors did you talk to? Or anyone have recommendations for northeastern Indiana?

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My advice would be to dig as many test holes as you can afford. Go deeper than your intended depth. We found nothing but trash at the location where we were going to put a dam, down to 10ft. Had to settle for a smaller pond. My pond builder told me in one instance his client had gravel down 6ft. Client still had to pay 6500 for the time. No pond and out 6500 would suck.

Last edited by wannapond0001; 01/19/19 07:57 PM.
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Shipprj,check your pm I sent ya a message. Too much for this lazy ol boy ta type.

Last edited by Bob-O; 01/20/19 10:06 AM.

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0001, listen closely to what Bill Cody says.
He is a cantankerous ol guy but is kinda smart. wink

Last edited by Bill Cody; 01/20/19 11:22 AM. Reason: added icon

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Bob-O learned initial stocking the hard way. Catfish cry

Last edited by Bill Cody; 01/20/19 11:25 AM.

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Still battling those bastards !!!! Thanks for narcin me out. Did ya forget about my "CUTE" Koi? Those took 6 yrs to kill 5.


Do nature a favor, spay/neuter your pets and any weird friends or relatives.
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ya forgot. Koi mad cry cry
By now you could have some youngin' koi.


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Thanks Bob-O, Hope to chat soon.


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