New Project

H20fwler

5 year old buck +
My pond guy called yesterday and said they will be starting next week.
The plan is to put in a one acre pond 18’-20’ deep kind of shaped like a peanut with a few ledges, stone around it, a beach and a big dock. We will also be putting a lot of fish structures in it before it starts to fill up.

Going to put some of the dirt on west end as wind block, a lot of dirt piled high along road front for privacy and the rest on east end of property to build up ground for buildings that will go up in next two years.
We should be putting in a 40’X80’ pole barn this fall, a third of the building will be a two room studio apartment for the wife and I to live in for a year or so while we build our house next to it. The studio apartment will end up being my man cave after the house is built.

So I thought I would get a starting pic before the landscape gets to changing fast.


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lotta good ideas for homemade fish structure on pinterest

bill
 
My dozer guy called yesterday. He had the guy from NRCS up to my place yesterday to start the plans on a new pond.

won’t be an acre but it should hold some fish...
 
Looking forward to watching the build.
 
I don't have experience with ponds, so take this for what it is worth. I used to do a lot of fly fishing for trout in PA when I was young. Very different environment than a pond. Having acknowledged that, Stream productivity seemed to be a function of the underlying dirt. For trough pH is a big factor, so limestone streams were top notch. I'm not sure how much of this will translate to a pond, but I think dirt matters.

I'm not sure what the standard is for building ponds. I know that around here, they like a clay bottom to retain the water. I wonder if it makes any sense to save the topsoil, build the pond, and then place the top soil on the bottom of the pond on top of the clay. I'm sure microbes and fertility are different in an underwater environment, but I would think it would be a better start than clay. I realize you may want gravel or stone in some locations depending on the fish you plan to stock and how they breed. Also, if you plan to put in artificial fish structures, I would think it would be easier to do that before you fill the pond.

Best of luck and post some pics as things progress.
 
I don't have experience with ponds, so take this for what it is worth. I used to do a lot of fly fishing for trout in PA when I was young. Very different environment than a pond. Having acknowledged that, Stream productivity seemed to be a function of the underlying dirt. For trough pH is a big factor, so limestone streams were top notch. I'm not sure how much of this will translate to a pond, but I think dirt matters.

I'm not sure what the standard is for building ponds. I know that around here, they like a clay bottom to retain the water. I wonder if it makes any sense to save the topsoil, build the pond, and then place the top soil on the bottom of the pond on top of the clay. I'm sure microbes and fertility are different in an underwater environment, but I would think it would be a better start than clay. I realize you may want gravel or stone in some locations depending on the fish you plan to stock and how they breed. Also, if you plan to put in artificial fish structures, I would think it would be easier to do that before you fill the pond.

Best of luck and post some pics as things progress.

All good points Jack.
We should have plenty of clay although I have heard of people in our area hitting veins of sand before.
The guy that is building ours has dug over 500 ponds in the county over the years. He dug our other two ponds at the big woods and did exactly as you described putting some of the top soil back down on the bottom to encourage plant growth.
Our topsoil on this project will be going over the spot that will end up being our lawn. In our are area the topsoil is 3”-6” deep then clay.

We are putting some gravel on the bottom of pond, the fish structures are going to be made of plastic/concrete and clay we have gotten a lot of ideas for things to make off the internet like TreeDaddy suggested. We are not wanting to have extra things in pond that will decompose over the years making it have an even muddier bottom.
This pond is going to be for swimming and fishing… the wife has a lot of input on this project on the swimming and aesthetics aspect of it and has been very clear about that…she has even turned her nose up at having a wood duck box on this one! We will see……
 
All good points Jack.
We should have plenty of clay although I have heard of people in our area hitting veins of sand before.
The guy that is building ours has dug over 500 ponds in the county over the years. He dug our other two ponds at the big woods and did exactly as you described putting some of the top soil back down on the bottom to encourage plant growth.
Our topsoil on this project will be going over the spot that will end up being our lawn. In our are area the topsoil is 3”-6” deep then clay.

We are putting some gravel on the bottom of pond, the fish structures are going to be made of plastic/concrete and clay we have gotten a lot of ideas for things to make off the internet like TreeDaddy suggested. We are not wanting to have extra things in pond that will decompose over the years making it have an even muddier bottom.
This pond is going to be for swimming and fishing… the wife has a lot of input on this project on the swimming and aesthetics aspect of it and has been very clear about that…she has even turned her nose up at having a wood duck box on this one! We will see……

It is all in the presentation...Don't call it a duck box...Call it a gazebo! I got an archery range in the back yard that way. Built a covered gazebo with a porch swing hanging in the middle. Of course, the porch swing is easily removable and my archery targets hand from the same beam! :emoji_smile:
 
All good points Jack.
We should have plenty of clay although I have heard of people in our area hitting veins of sand before.
The guy that is building ours has dug over 500 ponds in the county over the years. He dug our other two ponds at the big woods and did exactly as you described putting some of the top soil back down on the bottom to encourage plant growth.
Our topsoil on this project will be going over the spot that will end up being our lawn. In our are area the topsoil is 3”-6” deep then clay.

We are putting some gravel on the bottom of pond, the fish structures are going to be made of plastic/concrete and clay we have gotten a lot of ideas for things to make off the internet like TreeDaddy suggested. We are not wanting to have extra things in pond that will decompose over the years making it have an even muddier bottom.
This pond is going to be for swimming and fishing… the wife has a lot of input on this project on the swimming and aesthetics aspect of it and has been very clear about that…she has even turned her nose up at having a wood duck box on this one! We will see……


H20 ... what type of fish structures are you considering?

For our new pond I am thinking of some 5 gal pails filled with stone and inserting some black flexible water tubing to create some structure.

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Here is a company that we are looking to use some of their designs on our new pond ... they state their materials will allow algae to grow on.
 
H20 ... what type of fish structures are you considering?

For our new pond I am thinking of some 5 gal pails filled with stone and inserting some black flexible water tubing to create some structure.

View attachment 34834

Here is a company that we are looking to use some of their designs on our new pond ... they state their materials will allow algae to grow on.
Yep we are doing the buckets filled with sak Krete and tubing and PVC pipes, have about ten buckets saved up.
Also doing some structure with large tile and concrete blocks and pavers along with a small load of 3”-4” stone down middle.
 
Peeled off top soil and piled it up yesterday, scratched out pond shape GPS’d it this morning and they are digging now.
Hung flagging ribbon on new fruit trees so they don’t get squashed.

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scratching out basic shape
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Rough drawing of what project should look like when finished with drive and buildings.
Pole barn top right in pic house underneath on east side of property facing pond.

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Very nice! Keep posting those pics!
 
Got a lot done today myself, bought the extremely over priced penetrated wood to frame up the dock. Gathered my two boys up and went on a small road trip to pick up four used telephone poles for dock footers.
going to make dock 16’X10’ with composite boards on top.

OK, pond is getting a little bigger than original plan! Because why not, less to mow.

Can really see the outline of pond now, scraped quite a bit of dirt today. Deep end is maybe four feet so far with about eighteen or better to go.
Clay looks great just a lot of it to move. ETA on it to be completed is by next Wednesday.
Couple pics from tonight.
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Future view from our front porch, you can see the outline good now.
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Pile on left side is top soil none of that will be there middle of next week. Pile behind pond and along road will sure be bigger then
 
I see both girls came to supervise :emoji_grin:
 
I see both girls came to supervise :emoji_grin:

They sure did….Darcy’s ideas/questions run closer to mine;
Where we planting the sunflowers for doves?
Where we putting the woody box?
What kind of wildlife can we see here?
How fast could I swim across this pond?
We going to need another boat?

All great questions!
 
She knows how fast she can swim that pond.

today it’s a blink. In 6 years she may have wished for a smaller pond.
 
H20 - Gorgeous place you have there! Love the pond status pics as well.
 
That moment when the wife realizes the pond may be bigger than I had originally told her.

I will never get tired of hearing “it’s to big”.


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Cool thread
Lots of opportunity to create contour on the bottoms to fashion "edge"

I read where bass(like deer) are creatures of edge

Throw in a few plots and "sidewalks" that Steve Bartylla talks about and you have a bass habitat plan......

bill
 
Cool thread
Lots of opportunity to create contour on the bottoms to fashion "edge"

I read where bass(like deer) are creatures of edge

Throw in a few plots and "sidewalks" that Steve Bartylla talks about and you have a bass habitat plan......

bill

Absolutely!
I’ve got our pond builder putting a ledge around 3/4 of the pond at 5’ deep about six or eight feet wide then it drops off fast.
A buddy of mine is tearing out a bunch of big sidewalk pavers next week, said maybe six or eight tons. I’m going to make a habitat pile at deep end with them.
 
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