digging out a pond

[hillrunner]

I have a pond about an acre to an acre and a half in size. I would like to stock it with pan fish and bass. I floated around and checked depth today and found most of it to be around 5 ft deep with the deepest being around 5 and a half deep. I would like to take an excavator around the 2 deepest sides of the pond to dig it out some before stocking any fish. I'm wondering if anyone has any experience with something like this. My biggest worry is that the pond might not seal after were done. Any advice would be appreciated. Here is the pond.

 

[fullrut2]

???? might not want to do that???? mine had to be lined with clay to hold water.
I guess you can try??? thats half the fun.

 

[Fishbonker]

I too would be afraid it would leak. It might be cheaper just to breach the dike and dig it out and if it needs clay then you'll only be out the expense once. Then You could also increase the surface area if the area it drains will support a bigger pond.

The 'Bonker

 

[Seth]

Yah, I'd be wary of that too. Plus some excavators might not want to have half their boom submerged in water.

 

[iowaqdm]

If it was my pond I would bring in a dozer, scraper and a backhoe. Take some dirt from the sidehills around the pond and raise the dam and overflow tube 5-10 feet. If you don't have good clay to build with add bentonite to the soil used to raise the dam to reduce excessive seepage. Then stock fathead minnows, hybrid bluegills, redear sunfish and channel catfish this fall. Then cut down several osage orange/hedge apple trees or a few oak trees this winter and place them on the ice to add structure. If you cut down oaks be sure to cut down the weaker half of a double trunk tree or have a State forester help you choose trees that need to be removed so your doing TSI at the same time! Next Spring add some black crappie and largemouth bass. Next Summer start fishing!