Greetings from your immediate South.
One caution made from the start: The last I knew, Ohio required an engineering plan/design for dams that would be impounding more than 5 feet of water (Bill Cody is one member likely to be on top of this requirement and there may be others). You should check into that.
1. Consider what fish habitat you may want done with dirt before the pond is finished, especially if it will reduce the amount of dirt that needs to be moved (e.g. underwater islands) and with it, cost.
You have lots of time to decide on what species to stock; start cautiously. If you only put in Fatheads, Gambusia, and (perhaps) Golden Shiners in the first year while it is filling, you will have a very good forage base for whatever ultimate predators you decide on.
2. Root balls may lose enough trapped dirt to float up after the pond fills - about half of the ones I put in did. I suggest staking/weighting any wood underwater structure down to prevent the possibility. This allows you to use submerged wood that doesn't have dirt affixed (I have a number of logs and even a "log cabin" in my SMB pond).
3. If placing posts for a dock before the pond fills, make sure they are good and solid.
Finally, the sage advice I give to all first-time pond builders: buy a copy of
"PERFECT POND ... WANT ONE?" and study it. It's the best $27 you will spend on your pond's construction.
P.S. If you find/have a good pond excavator, let us know who it is. There have been at least two other Central Ohio pondmeister wannabees looking for excavators around here.
I loved the work my excavator did (not just on ponds), but he is no longer in the business. I
think I'm done building ponds, but it is a recurring mental condition not easily completely cured.
