MICHIGAN BOTTOMLESS FISH POND SERIES

There is some truth to the statement because flowing water generally carries more oxygen as it can better exchange gases with the air above.

Many publications state that ponds don’t need to be as deep when they have constant flow from creeks or springs. They often try, with some success, to talk the landowner into building a shallower pond. Contractors can’t dig as efficiently as they would like when they encounter heavy clay soils 10 feet or more below the ground. The obvious difference between actual water depth and depth of excavation is often overlooked!Īnother reason ponds are built too shallow is that design depths are often compromised for economics. This amounts to at least two feet in most areas of Central Michigan, and can be as much as four feet in some soil types. Some landowners also did not consider naturally-occurring drops in the water table during hot summers. Since almost all of the ponds were dug in sites that were dry at the surface, they never filled with water to the ground level. This discrepancy resulted in part because the contractor measured (or in most cases just estimated) the pond depth from the ground surface during excavation. One-third of the ponds were at least six feet shallower than their design depth. I found that the ponds averaged 3 ½ feet shallower than the owner thought. I subsequently measured the maximum depth in a random sample of 25 of the ponds. Among other things, I asked them how deep their ponds were. In the 1070s, I surveyed over 200 pond owners. Planning for a pond to be 15 feet deep and getting one or two different things.

Only part of the pond needs to be that deep, but the best ones for fishing generally have 15 feet of water under 25-50% of the pond surface. Shallower ponds tend to have periods of low oxygen in winter and summer, are more uniform in temperature, and more frequently produce stunted fish populations. Those depths are necessary in most areas of Michigan to ensure adequate oxygen throughout the year, provide a range of temperatures in the water column in summer, and provide the kind of space fish need for growth. The first important key in developing a good excavated pond for sport fishing is to plan for a water depth of at least 15 feet for warmwater species and about 18 feet if trout are to be stocked. There are lots of ‘bits and pieces` of information used by resource managers, heavy equipment operators, and others involved in pond construction, but for one reason or another, the resultant ponds often end up too shallow and are stocked with the wrong combinations of fish to offer much promise of long-term success. The reason is poor design and management caused by misinterpretation of information. Unfortunately, many ponds have not produced quality sport fishing, especially beyond about six years after construction. Landowners have created artificial water bodies for a great variety of reasons – including swimming, wildlife habitat, livestock watering, irrigation, and aesthetics – but fishing is cited by most landowners as their primary reason for wanting a pond. Patrick Rusz, Director of Wildlife Programs.Īlthough Michigan has an abundance of natural lakes and streams, resource managers estimate that as many as 50,000 artificial ponds have been built in our state.

MICHIGAN BOTTOMLESS FISH POND SERIES

Below is a four part series on pond excavation by Dr.

Michigan bottomless fish pond