Having a new pond dug on our farm

[MDbassin]

My grandfather wants to have a new pond dug out on our farm. It's gonna be 1.5-2 acres and we found a place that will stock it, and I looked at videos about placing the pvc pipes down for structure and cover. 

 

But how should we plan this pond out? I told him maybe have it 5 ft deep with a section that was 3ft just so the fish had a shallower flat for spawning and to have a transition in depth instead of just having a hole that was all the same depth.

 

what all goes into keeping the pond a healthy place for fish? Aerator? Fertilizer? Feeders? Just trying to get an idea of what all entails to grow some nice bass, bluegill, and catfish

[12poundbass]

I'm not sure how your winters are in Maryland but you might want to go down further than 5' so you don't have to worry about them dying in the winter if your winters are bad like mine. 

[NHBull]

Reach out to a local university, as they can often offer help at no charge.  There are a lot majoring in environmental studies and this is an area or study

[BurritoBoiii]

Christmas trees for cover?

[MDbassin]

I'm not a fan of Christmas trees dnr puts them in one of our lakes here and with in a few years there nothing but a pile of sticks. I want something more permanent

52 minutes ago, 12poundbass said:

I'm not sure how your winters are in Maryland but you might want to go down further than 5' so you don't have to worry about them dying in the winter if your winters are bad like mine. 

As a kids the winters were bad but the last 2-3 winters have been very mild except for like a month or month and a half. The last 2 winters it's was in the 60s on Christmas 

Actually the 2 lakes closest to me one is a max depth of 6 ft and the other is 3-4 they are managed by dnr and they have some good fishing so I don't think they die off at least not a lot

[Doelman]

If it was me, I would go deeper than 5' if you can.  I had a pond in south Florida that was roughly an acre and also about 5' deep in the middle, during a pretty bad drought almost every single fish in that pond died due to low O2.  If you guys are digging it yourself, take that sucker down to bedrock.  The more water in there the better.

[fishballer06]

We built a pond on my families farm here in PA. Trust me, go at least 10-12' deep. The fish will need it not only during the winter whenever the ice can get thick, but also in the summer too. Plus, over time, silt/settlement can accumulate and make your pond even shallower. There's nothing wrong with having 3-5' deep area's, but you'll want some deeper water. 

 

As for structure, make a few rock piles, some fish cribs made out of cedar wood, cinder blocks, bricks, tires, etc. There are lots of websites out there with information on building ponds. The most important part is creating a proper drainage system in the event of flooding. 

[the reel ess]

1 hour ago, MDbassin said:

I'm not a fan of Christmas trees dnr puts them in one of our lakes here and with in a few years there nothing but a pile of sticks. I want something more permanent

 

I dunno, I put out fraser firs for years off the end of my dad's dock in about 8' of water at a lake and a lot of them are still there. I haven't placed any in about 6 years. The needles do go away, but that's mostly an attractant for minnows for crappie. Bass won't "get in" those trees until they're sticks. At least that's my experience. Catfish will stay around them too because of the constant attraction of minnows. As for the crappie, they're seasonal (spring spawn & fall) unless you sink them in very deep water. If you use them, tie them with the trunk in a cinder block or concrete, standing up.

 

I'd still prefer the pipe method for bass because you'll get hung up less on it and they will never rot. I'd place them at different depths in different sizes and shapes. You might also make some rock piles at a couple strategic spots and maybe a logjam or two. You'll learn where they all are and you'll be able to eliminate areas with no cover or structure. 

 

I'm envious. It looks like by the time I can afford to do this, I'll be too old to enjoy the fishing.

[Catt]

Pond Boss Forums, their field advisory staff will give you answers for your specific location.

[Ratherbfishing]

5 feet is not deep enough.  Unless spring fed, it will likely winter kill and, on hot years, probably summer kill, too.  In addition, plant life will flourish to the point where the pond will fill up with organic matter in no time flat.  

[MDbassin]

 

2 hours ago, Ratherbfishing said:

5 feet is not deep enough.  Unless spring fed, it will likely winter kill and, on hot years, probably summer kill, too.  In addition, plant life will flourish to the point where the pond will fill up with organic matter in no time flat.  

It would be fed by a creek it's not just going to be a pond in the middle of a field.

 

We had a pond on the farm a while ago for years that my great grandfather had built back in the 80s that was only 2-3 ft deep but the dam has since washed away.

 

Then it gets into some legal disputes about how the pond lays between 2 properties and the dam is on one property and the owner of that property doesn't care to fix it up etc. long story short it will be less hassle to build another pond solely on our property fed by the same creek

[WRB]

3 hours ago, Catt said:

Pond Boss Forums, their field advisory staff will give you answers for your specific location.

^^^^This^^^^, Bob Lusk is the man for building bass ponds.

Tom

[NCbassraider]

On 6/28/2017 at 7:56 AM, MDbassin said:

My grandfather wants to have a new pond dug out on our farm. It's gonna be 1.5-2 acres and we found a place that will stock it, and I looked at videos about placing the pvc pipes down for structure and cover. 

 

But how should we plan this pond out? I told him maybe have it 5 ft deep with a section that was 3ft just so the fish had a shallower flat for spawning and to have a transition in depth instead of just having a hole that was all the same depth.

 

what all goes into keeping the pond a healthy place for fish? Aerator? Fertilizer? Feeders? Just trying to get an idea of what all entails to grow some nice bass, bluegill, and catfish

Try to get at least 1/3 of the pond as deep as you can.  The most important thing will be aeration.  Since it is a new pond, put line aerators on the bottom.  They are not very expensive and will be the most effective, and you will not see them working.

 

As you dig it out, save all the rocks you can.  Use them to line the edges of the pond for support and also build rock piles in open water.  They provide perfect cover for bait fish, much better than PVC fish structures , which I have found to be marginal at best.

 

DO NOT put fertilizer in your pond.  I don't know why people recommend this but you will have nothing but algae.  Do not fertilize your lawn anywhere near your pond.  Do not have a camp fire anywhere near the pond.  Do not mow grass clippings into the pond.  These things will all help algae grow.  Aeration will help keep algae away.  Also, google "beneficial bacteria".  It will help you water greatly as your pond gets older.

On 6/28/2017 at 8:32 AM, BurritoBoiii said:

Christmas trees for cover?

Christmas trees are a bad idea in small ponds.  Everything organic you put in your pond will decompose and as it does, release ammonia and nitrates which feed surface algae growth.  Decomposition also depletes oxygen from the water.

 

If you have to use wood, use cedar but strip all the green off first.  Rock, PVC and even tire piles are better options.

 

Spend money on aeration in some form.  At least a fountain that will provide an area of oxygenated water for the fish if levels get low or the pond turns over.  It will save your fish.

[everythingthatswims]

My main concern with building a 5' deep pond would be silt turning it into a 2' deep pond after a few years. My childhood pond went from 8-10' max to 5-6' max when some people built a house at the headwaters of the feeder creek which exposed a lot of silt for runoff. Real shame.

[Catt]

Ya can keep guessing or ya can call the Boss

[Glenn]

Bob Lusk is your man!  http://www.pondboss.com

 

[Catt]

1 hour ago, Glenn said:

Bob Lusk is your man!  http://www.pondboss.com

 

Even the Boss recommends the Boss

[NCbassraider]

Update?

[MDbassin]

7 hours ago, NCbassraider said:

Update?

Had to put pond on hold. Grandfather in hospital. But they did come out and survey and we have all the permits to dig when the time comes now

[NHBull]

Sorry to hear about your grandfather, but if you're not going to use Bob, I can tell you about my father-out-laws pond......

He has worked on I several time, and every time it had to be deeper.  1/3 of the pond is 15 ft and he made an island by dredging around a high spot with small shrubs. Rocks and a lot of aeration was added, and he still could not keep bass.  He did get sunfish the size of Texas.

 

I had no idea about the science until I started following Bob.