What are some tips for creating a beautiful fishing pond?

Question

It is for bass, but just as important, for the beauty of the scenery. I would really appreciate tips on species of trees for shade and scenery, grass, plants, and anything to help the pond become a small haven with a very natural presentation. Lengthy answers are very welcome. Thanks

Answer 1

a good looking fishing pond thats almost asking "how do i build the coolest house ever" theres so many possibilities.. i hope i help in aiding your decision.. but i take it that you do have some money to spend... so here goes..

cottonwoods - these trees are really good looking and grow big(if thats what you want) they have the two shaded leaves.. green on one side and off-white on the other..i like that myself
other than that... try differnt types of maples(like japanese maples its a dark red leaf) and oaks.. i personally dont like evergreen trees b/c of the needles and sterilization they do to the ground.

shrubs.. you might try some boxwoods(the normal shrubs) or some crape myrtles if you want a lil color. i wouldnt use to many of these just b/c i would try to stick with trees

as far as grass.. im a HUGE bermuda fan... you keep it mowed and it will keep out almost every weed which is a huge plus.. it looks amazing when grown all the way up to the edge of the water.

but you might also look at installing a fountain or two in the middle.. this will greatly help with aeration and add beauty too. maybe have a lil stream that flows into and small 'pond' that overflows into your big pond.. hook up a pump that sucks water from the pond and flows it down that stream.. thenyou could put fish in the lil pond like koi or goldfish..

during the summer you can buy this lil things to put in water that kills mosquito larve...you might look into that..

if you do build this... email me some pics.. id like to see what the finished product is!

Answer 2

Below is a site for a place that has probably everything you could think of for a pond. They have what you need for small or very large farm size ponds. They sell everything you need to install and maintain it as well. They also carry a selection of water plants. As far as trees and shrubs go, I think that no matter what size pond you have there should always be some sort of weeping tree next to it. If you want a smaller pond, An ornamental weeping cherry would be a great size. I also think that some ornamental grass here and there would give it a natural feel. And like the weeping trees, ornamental grass comes in a wide range of sizes and colors. And don't forget some rocks along the edges and a few large ones sticking out of the water. I hope this was helpful and Have a great time planing your natural water habitat!!!

Answer 3

First you want to pick a spot that gets plenty of water that will drain into the future pond otherwise your pond may go dry during summer months. Secondly, you want to make sure that the ground for the bottom of the pond is composed of clay so the pond doesn't leak. The pond builder will need to take some soil core samples. You especially want to make sure that you have large enough overflows and and emergency overflow set up well in case the pond over flows during the spring, and the dam needs reinforced with clay especially at the bottom. The drop off at the sides of the pond should be 3-4 feet for fishing and breeding purposes and the pond should be at least 10-12 feet deep for freezing purposes. You don't want the pond too deep or otherwise there won't be enough vegetation growing in it. It's also good to have plenty of structure at the bottom of the pond (channels, hills, deep spots, brush, stumps, etc). This gives the bass and fish things to congregate around making for good fishing. Sometimes Christmas trees can be sunk in a pond for structure. Clay tile pipes work good for catfish and other fish for breeding and nesting in. Be careful not to plant trees too close to the pond or too many trees around the pond. They will sap the water out of your pond making it go dry quicker. Also, they can get in the way when you are fishing and you can lose a lot of lures in them. Especially avoid willows. Another reason to keep trees back away from the pond is that if the pond gets high and you have a bad storm. The water will make the ground all muddy around the tree making it easier to be blown over. And sometimes they'll fall in the pond and can be a pain to pull out. We had a large oak fall over in our pond that was a couple hundred feet tall. It was all a very large 240 some horsepower tractor could do to pull it out. One last thing, invest in some grass carp. It is recommend to use about 5 per acre although you may want to use a few more to keep the algae and duckweed down. Also, it's a good idea to use an aerator in the pond so the fish don't get frozen out in the winter. Ours have gotten frozen out about 3 times in the last past 30 years. Seems like it happens once the fish start getting big. Our aerator works off of a windmill so, so it doesn't require electricity. You'll want to place the tubing for the aerator in a metal pipe because muskrats like to chew on it and put holes in it. We used duck decoys tied to the end of it so we could pull it up to work on it if need be. Makes it easier than wading out into the pond. If they use plastic pipe for your overflow, make sure they use at least schedule 40. If you have too much of a problem with algae sprink a little copper sulfate around the edge of the pond, just enough to make a very light trail.

Answer 4

Have a good clay-based bottom.
Soil that percolates well doesn't hold water for long.
Good aeration (fountain, spray, etc), too unless you have an adequate supply of water feeding in and an exit stream.
The rest will pretty much fall into place with the shrubs, grass, etc.

Answer 5

Look into hgtv.com they have some real cool ideas for making ponds in the backyard and around the house.

Answer 6

A small water fall would be cool

Answer 7

1.Get randy
2.Get even randier
3.Get as randy as you possibly can
4.Go somewhere and meet someone
5.Get randy with that person
6.HAVE FUN!!!