Pond renovation underway

[Dukslayr]

Well I entered our NRCS pond assistance program this past fall to secure a 75% cost share on putting in a 2 acre pond. Needless to say I was drawn 120th out of 139 entrants. My estimated date of available funds is sometime in 2024

With that in mind I decided to go ahead and move forward with a somewhat temporary solution. My farm has 3 small ponds on it; none of the ponds has any fish and all are grown in and useless for recreational activities. There was an old home near the largest of the ponds. I recently knocked the house down and need it hauled off (don’t want to burn it for a number of reasons) so decided to get quotes from several heavy equipment operators that do ponds and can also remove the old house and root cellar.

The weather here in MO has been awful for trying to do heavy equipment projects since I’m several miles down gravel roads and getting equipment in has been a challenge. They got the equipment moved in this past week and got started on the pond reno late this past week. There’s 6” of ice on the pond so that’s created more work, but it’s coming right along. The 1/3-1/2 acre pond will become around 1 acre when they are done. Once they get it fully drained and ice out they’re going to dig it out further and build the dam up another 4’. I wish I would have taken a “before” picture. It’s crazy how much different it looks already by just cleaning out the grown up trees and brush. This is the original size of the pond; they obviously haven’t started expanding it yet. I’ll take some pictures of the progress.

Once they get it all put back together, should I stack some structure in various spots? Cedar trees, brush, pallets, etc? Don’t want to put too much in a small pond but figure some structure would be useful. I’m planning on putting some catfish and hyrbrid bluegill in...not sure what, if anything else.

And an obligatory photo of the house we knocked down and now are hauling away (along with all the junk/trash that was sitting around the house). I will be very happy to be rid of this eyesore/liability! I will be planting a 3+ acre sunflower field where the old house and yard are...hopefully they’ll take a deer don’t destroy them all. I’d love to have some good dove shoots. This spot is perfect since it’s on the very edge of my land and away from my deer hunting areas.

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[H20fwler]

I love it! What a great project and a great way to improve property and your personal use of it.
Looking forward to see it all develope in the next year.
I am doing a fish stocking program on my biggest pond this spring three years after we put it in. I’m adding fingerling bass/crappie and channel cats.

 

[Dukslayr]

I love it! What a great project and a great way to improve property and your personal use of it.
Looking forward to see it all develope in the next year.
I am doing a fish stocking program on my biggest pond this spring three years after we put it in. I’m adding fingerling bass/crappie and channel cats.

Yeah my son is 1 now and would be over 5 by the time my funds come available from the NRCS and then tack on another couple years to have a thriving pond and the years add up quick! This is hopefully a good way to bridge the gap and solve two problems at once.ich cheaper to do two projects at the same time once the equipment is on site!

 

[ksgobbler]

I love it! What a great project and a great way to improve property and your personal use of it.
Looking forward to see it all develope in the next year.
I am doing a fish stocking program on my biggest pond this spring three years after we put it in. I’m adding fingerling bass/crappie and channel cats.

How big a pond is it? Crappie no recommended for anything under 10 acres depending on who you ask some say 20 acres.

 

[H20fwler]

How big a pond is it? Crappie no recommended for anything under 10 acres depending on who you ask some say 20 acres.

A little over two acres

 

[ksgobbler]

A little over two acres

Crappie may be a huge mistake for you. Every once in awhile you find a small pond that keeps things in balance but for each one of those there is 10 that aren't. Buddy has a 3 acre pond in his front yard and is fighting the small crappie blues.

 

[H20fwler]

Crappie may be a huge mistake for you. Every once in awhile you find a small pond that keeps things in balance but for each one of those there is 10 that aren't. Buddy has a 3 acre pond in his front yard and is fighting the small crappie blues.

I already have some crappie and channel cats in it along with thousands of minnows and thousands of tadpoles and water bugs.

 

[ksgobbler]

I already have some crappie and channel cats in it along with thousands of minnows and thousands of tadpoles and water bugs.

Never throw crappie back in a small pond.

 

[Dukslayr]

Anyone have suggestions for structure (or no structure) to add to a small pond like this? I’m assuming the full size will be about 1 acre. I’ve got a ton of cedar trees in my CRP that need to come out so they would be easy to get. Also I thought about stacking some pallets in various spots?

 

[ksgobbler]

Cedar is okay. Do you have hedge trees around? Hedge doesn't rot so if you can get it I would. I put cedars in the bottom then piled hedge on top of it.

 

[SwampCat]

What is the criteria for NRCS cost sharing a pond. When I built my pond, they would provide engineering assistance, but said they would not provide any funds for the actual construction.

 

[j-bird]

Anyone have suggestions for structure (or no structure) to add to a small pond like this? I’m assuming the full size will be about 1 acre. I’ve got a ton of cedar trees in my CRP that need to come out so they would be easy to get. Also I thought about stacking some pallets in various spots?

Try to find a way to make the cedar/hedge trees stand up if you can. Piles of pallets wired together work well also. Just make sure they are tall as the fish will appreciate the cover thru the water column and not just on the bottom. Make sure those ponds have deep enough area sin them to ensure you won't have a pond full of weeds. Put the structure on the areas of transition between shallow and deeper water if your pond is getting any contour to it. Depending on what your putting in....you make also want to put in some areas of gravel beds for the fish to spawn/nest in. Another thing to add if you can...get you a solar powered light and put it out over the water. The light attracts all sorts of bugs and small critters that the fish love. The trick with a pond is keeping the food chain in line. You need to pay special attention to things like minnows and the like (make sure you have breeding cover for them) to ensure your predatory fish stay healthy. Don't be afraid to keep fish either....it's all part of the cycle. Good luck to you and get them kids out there and enjoy the water.

A pond is a small self contained habitat so many of the same principles apply to fish and diversity, food, cover and the like as they do to the deer world....the fish just can't get up and leave!

 

[Dukslayr]

Cedar is okay. Do you have hedge trees around? Hedge doesn't rot so if you can get it I would. I put cedars in the bottom then piled hedge on top of it.

Oh yeah, I have plenty of hedge around!

 

[Dukslayr]

What is the criteria for NRCS cost sharing a pond. When I built my pond, they would provide engineering assistance, but said they would not provide any funds for the actual construction.

I assume it varies from state to state, but locally in Missouri (in my country) there is a “pond program signup” to get folks on the list for assistance in building a pond that helps with soil conservation. After the enrollment period closes they do a drawing and slot folks in order. Once your number comes up you have the ability to cost share 75% of the cost of building the pond up to 20,000. The landowner is responsible for covering the other 25% plus anything over the maximum allowable amount. The landowner is also required to pay the full amount of the pond construction up front and then is then reimbursed through the NRCS. There are a lot of fairly specific requirements that the NRCS requires the landowner to follow as well as a number of limitations as well. For example, no pond is allowed to collect more than 99 acres worth of surface area (which limits the size, obviously); there is a height limit on the damn (also limits size); the pond must be fenced and no livestock can use it; as well as a bunch of other stuff. Ultimately the benefit is the significant cost share but it comes at a price of having to meet all their requirements as the program is funded (like CRP) as an erosion control program...not a recrestional opportunity program. You can still stock it, fish in it, etc but there are a lot of requirements that have to be met to qualify for federal funds.

 

[loshonhora]

artificial fish attractors. make them out of 5 gallon buckets, pvc pipe and PEX pipe. weight them with cement. you can move them around in the future if you need to, and they are essentially snag proof.

 

[TreeDaddy]

artificial fish attractors. make them out of 5 gallon buckets, pvc pipe and PEX pipe. weight them with cement. you can move them around in the future if you need to, and they are essentially snag proof.

easy to build with scraps around the ranch and a little creativity

cheaper than commercial varieties sold on line

bill

 

[Catscratch]

I plan my fish structures just like I do deer habitat.

Cedars are a favorite of the baitfish.

Big fish like big cover. I take big hedge limbs (up to the size of your leg) that I fan/cone out of a bucket of cement so that when they lay down the limbs are horizontal or close to horizontal. I make these as open as I can... something the bigger fish can suspend under and in.

All structures are placed and laid down pointing towards bank so that a jig or swim-bait can pass through them without getting snagged.

I alternate cedars and big cover when I place them. This creates a line or grid (depending on how you put it out) that keeps baitfish and predators separate, but close enough together that they can chase each other around when they feel like it.

We usually catch our biggest bass and catfish in the big hedge, and most of our crappie around the cedars.

 

[Dukslayr]

Well I learned a lesson today...

Once the dam is put back together the pond can fill up quick! I ran up to the farm last weekend to unload some pallets for the pond. I didn’t have time to set them out but assumed I would have plenty of time time before it started filling up. Wrong. We got around an inch of rain Friday/Saturday and when I by the farm today I glanced over at the pond and was surprised to see it half full already?! Not sure how long I was expecting it to take to fill up, but definitely didn’t think it would happen that quick. I was able to get a dozen pallets staked out, but guessing my trees and other structure I was planning for will have to be dropped in the water via boat.

 

[Bill]

Welcome to MO! When it rains or snows, it doesn’t stop. When it finally quits it lasts so long the frogs will be asking to use your toilet. I just hope this isn’t a repeat of the last few years. Wet spring made it hard to plant followed by a hot dry summer.

Neighbor built a pond last June. I’d say it’s finally full but it took this long.