We all have visions of afternoons perched on the bank of a
pond. A line and bait teasing a lunker bass. Kids in a
nearby tire swing dangling over the water. Close by in the
cattails, a red-wing blackbird sings the joys of summer.
It's a great image. And it's all possible. But let's get
real.
Without maintenance a pond will silt in, weeds will spread
and that vision of beauty can easily become a swamp.
"Managing ponds for game fish is a lot like agriculture,"
says Terry Goldsby, the owner of Aquaservices in
Guntersville, Ala. "You apply tried and proven principles
for raising your crop. With time, you will produce a great
harvest.
"Apply logic and consistency," he adds, "and your aquatic
resource will flourish."
With that in mind, we've pulled together some of the best
advice you can get for owning a healthy pond, whether it's
been there for years or is about to be built. Here are our
top 10 tips:
1. Select a proper site.
The biggest mistake a landowner can make is to force a pond
into a bad location. The watershed, soil type and
availability of water are all crucial in determining how
much maintenance you'll be doing in later years.
For help on this one, you'll need professional advice. Two
local expert sources are your local Extension Service and
the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. They can
help with other questions, as can a pond specialist like
Goldsby.
2. Construct it well.
Design techniques vary with location, so hire an excavator
who understands ponds. He will know to build it using
sharply sloping banks to control aquatic weeds, for
instance. Have the soil type tested to be sure enough clay
content is present to seal the pond's bottom (the NRCS can
help here).
It's a good idea to vary depth. When it comes time to lower
your pond (more on that later), those deeper depressions
give fish a place to congregate.
3. Find good water.
You'll need a natural source of water or a well. Where
possible, Goldsby does not rely directly on creeks or
streams for water; they can bring sediments, warm water and
chemical runoff into the pond. Instead, he prefers to build
ponds to the side of creeks. From that source, he pumps
fresh water in and older water out.
4. Provide underwater structures.
These are important because they provide a refuge for
smaller fish. Place pallets, formed into tepee shapes, on
the bottom of ponds. Christmas trees are another good
structure. You should burn off the needles first, as they
can plug pumps and put a large amount of organic material
into the pond. You don't want to build more than three or
four structures per acre.
5. Fertilize.
You may need to fertilize. Use a fertilizer with a high
phosphorous level to encourage the growth of phytoplankton.
These microscopic plants and animals found in healthy ponds
not only provide a good source of food for fish, but also
produce oxygen fish need. Phytoplankton discourages weed
growth by shading out some of the sun. Too much fertilizer,
however, causes a phytoplankton explosion, and that can
cause problems.
6. Correct the pH.
Have someone test the water's alkalinity. If the pH is too
low, any fertilizing you do will be of limited value.
If your pond needs lime, don't apply it in the middle of the
summer, especially if you have been fertilizing. This can
lead to a fish kill.
7. Manage silt levels.
To trap sediments, install structures higher up in the
watershed. These include settling ponds and straw bales
placed through flowing water. You also can build a wetland
to trap sediment and pesticides before water enters the
pond.
8. Drain your pond periodically.
It's a good idea to lower the pond as many as three times in
five years. Draining compresses the sediment in the pond. It
also controls aquatic weeds growing closest to the
shore.
9. Provide aeration.
This adds oxygen. Aeration helps prevent water
stratification. That's when warm water floats at the top of
the pond and colder water, less rich in oxygen, stays
below. When low-oxygen, cool water surfaces, a fish
kill can be the result. In deep ponds, you can pump air to
the bottom of the pond. In shallow ponds (those under 10
feet), surface aeration can be beneficial.
10. Control Weeds
This is the one pond problem everyone has to face. There are
five kinds of aquatic plants-algae, floating, emergent
(foliage above the water), submersed (most of the plant is
under water) and floating leaved.
Some plants are desirable. Plankton algae is a source of
food and oxygen. Filamentous algae is that green slime
draped over your hook. (It's not good.)
"There's a tipping point" when weeds begin to take over a
pond, says Mark Mongin, business manager for SePRO Specialty
Aquatic Products at Carmel, Ind.
The pond has to be constructed carefully, or in a short time
"you get a wetland," notes Mongin. SePRO sells a line of
aquatic products to manage nuisance and exotic weeds and
algae.
You have the following options for controlling weeds: See PDF chart at left sidebar
Slope the sides of the ponds steeply. Many weeds grow in 2
feet or less water depth.
Encourage growth of plankton
algae. It increases pond shading and limits the growth of
rooted weeds.
Add grass carp. (First be sure to check
local rules on this; some states have restrictions on the
variety of carp you can use.) They control filamentous algae
and duckweed.
Rake to remove weeds. This is a short-term
benefit, however.
Use aquatic herbicides. Control is
highly effective, although herbicides work best in
coordination with other strategies.