Building a Watershed Pond
By Norman Latona,Jr.

One advantage to building your own pond is customizing it in an "angler-friendly" fashion. Ponds containing a variety and abundance of fish habitat may produce no more fish than a lake devoid of cover but will provide an advantage when it comes to locating and catching fish.

I frequently encounter old lakes and ponds constructed when most professionals favored a smooth, clean bottom. While there are effective strategies for dramatically improving such situations, during construction is the best opportunity to install fish habitat. We'll focus on nesting habitat and ambush habitat. Regardless of species composition, the lifeblood of a pond is the spawning season. By enhancing the habitat we not only promote spawning success but also improve angling opportunities.

With proper planning and design, spawning areas may be constructed throughout the pond. For example, pre-spawn largemouth bass and bluegill are almost always attracted to areas which possess a solid or gravely substrate. Although water depth may be critical as well, the substrate may be artificially enhanced by the addition of materials such as sand, pea gravel or crushed limestone. Particularly in fertilized ponds sunlight penetration and the resulting radiant heat is another key. Water roughly 2-8 feet is ideal.

Other species require different habitat. Crappie have adhesive eggs requiring spindly and flat surfaces, preferably in relatively dense cover and in at least 3-4 feet of water. Submerged cedar tops make ideal spawning habitat for crappie. By strategically placing and mapping nesting habitat you can make them much more vulnerable to angling efforts during the peak spawning periods.

Largemouth bass and other predators prefer to feed by ambush. In nature, lie-in-wait predators are often found in large, dense cover where they can hide from unwitting prey until it is too late. On the other hand, prey animals are attracted to dense cover in an effort to secure food and protection from predators. From an angler's perspective, it is quite simple - find the cover and you'll find the fish!

The abundance and type of cover should be dictated by personal preference. Fish are not particular, but anglers are. Tailor the material used and abundance of cover to your preferred style of fishing. Underwater earthen humps and islands, littered with stumps and partially buried trees, make ideal fish habitat as well as provide ample opportunity for anglers who prefer to worm or jig fish. Channels and ditches cut into the bottom, on the other hand, may be more desirable to a crankbait angler. At the same time, shallow flats or benches adjacent to the margins may encourage vegetative growth which will provide an opportunity for anglers who enjoy flipping or "scum frog" fishing. If the budget allows, a variety of cover types is desirable.

While cover can be a matter of personal taste, the location is dictated by a phenomenon called stratification. In a nutshell, most ponds in the southeast, regardless of average or maximum depth, stratify during the warm weather months and remain this way until the fall air cools the surface water down into the mid 60s. Once a pond becomes stratified, water below a certain depth, called the thermocline, doesn't contain sufficient oxygen. The thermocline's depth varies from day to day and is affected by external factors such as wind, rainfall and current. In general, however, the thermocline is most often 4-12 feet below the surface for much of the warm weather season. It may be reliably located by determining the depth at which water temperature descends rapidly (typically several degrees within 2-3 feet). Sensitive sonar equipment can usually pick up the thermocline. Because the most productive fishing months are March through October, it makes sense to place most cover in less than 12 feet of water.

In addition to fish habitat, the construction phase of "managing" a pond is the best time for installing several other useful fixtures:
1. Install a crude but functional boat ramp which extends well below the surface of the water. In addition to recreational purposes, it provide access for service equipment such as liming barges and electrofishing boats.

2. Install piers or docks. Once the water level is established by survey, piers which are anchored to the bottom may be reliably constructed. Install a few extra pillars for expansion purposes.

3. Grade an area for swimming. A gradual slope is desired. Cover the bottom with a mixture of sand and pea gravel. This shallow area may need periodic herbicide treatments if weeds begin to grow.

4. Install a "functional" mechanical spillway. Make certain that opening and closing the valve in the pond is not difficult nor requires undo hardship; you never know when you might want to lower the water.

Above all, keep in mind that successfully designing and managing a pond is just as much about the angler as the fish Growing fish is about age, nutrition and genetics. Catching fish and enjoying your pond is about thoughtful and proper planning.