Gents, we were finally able to push a little dirt around for a pond. Long term we want to fish it, but I also want to attract ducks. We got the fishing hole dug(we think) to about 12'. We did this in a pretty low spot in the pasture so water should flow that way when it rains a bit. For you guys that did yourself, do I need to throw down some sort of grass seed down to help with erosion to start? My hope is eventually the pond fills and any water flowing to it will gradually pool up making it more of a duck spot. If we have to we'll make like a 3' deep slough on the high side to catch water again more for the ducks. This is my first time doing anything like this so want to get it done right. Thanks!

Pond looks ok to me but this is the time to put in structure to get fish to orient on. Don’t use oak!!! That wood has tanins That are lethal to fish. I had to totally drain my 3 acre pond and let the Trxas summer dry up everything. Then restock. AFTER 3 years of rain dances.

For fish structure, I would recommend rocks. When you stock, cut cedars for structure and for fish to hide from cormorants.

Go to the Pond Boss Forum to ask questions.

It will have plenty of grass and such once spring gets here. Hopefully the soil isn’t too sandy and it holds water well.

I agree with the rocks for main structure

I am seeing people drilling wells and putting pumps on the well to keep the pond same level during the summer droughts, Hopefully you have power nearby.

If you dig it to 12 feet deep, it will only be 8 feet deep after a few years of sediment. At least that's been my experience.

For puddle ducks (the best kind), you want shallow water, flooded vegetation....

Looks great man

I would dig a silt trap up from where you expect the water to come from. The first big rain usually washes a ton of dirt into a new tank. You can seed the bank but we never did.

For structure I like rock piles, old tractor tires stacked in a pyramid, PVC trees ( you can buy them online ) anything that is vertical in the water. If it’s laying flat on the ground it’s just gonna get covered in silt.

Hopefully you will have enough clay to get it to hold well, if not you will need to add bentonite or even line it.

Probably not deep enough for bass or cats. Daughter had one done, get lots of fish. Built on an old creekbed so has a deep channel. Unfortunately, no wood ducks in 2 years. Outflow stack is the pipe near the dam.