OP
EddieWalker
Epic Contributor
Brandi,
Glad you enjoyed the read. It was never planned to be such a long thread, but I guess ponds are one of those topics that allot of people are interested in. Be sure to keep us posted on yours when you start it. One thing that is consistant from everyone I've ever talked to, make it as big as you can. You will never regret it being too big, but you will always regret it being too small.
Bird,
Thanks.
Rob,
Thank you. No plans for a boat bigger then the little paddle boat that I already have. We spend more time just walking around it then going on it with the boat. The boat is a ten foot, plastic thing that I row the kids around in. I have a small outboard for it, but as of right now, it's not working.
Then "natural" look is what I was after from the very beginning. When I was building the dam and piling the dirt up, my first goal was to make it strong enough to hold the water. My second goal was to make it look natural and like it fit in with the area. To do that, I had to put allot more dirt on the dam then I had planned on. As a result, I dug out more of the bottom then I had planned in order to have enough dirt to build up the dam. Depth was not a priority, it's just a result of the need for material to make the dam look natural.
Jim,
Thanks. I now look at all ponds and even large lakes differently after building this one. I'm the same way with houses. I don't just see the house, but imagin what the framing looks like, how they trusses were built and even think about the utilities and how they were run. I've found that when I see a pond or lake, I do the same thing. I'm imagining what it took to build the dam and where those people are today.
Posting my pics and sharing the construction of it with everyone here has added to the fun of building it in a way that's hard to describe. Getting everyones input has made me rethink my ideas and even change what I'd planned on doing. While it was my idea, plan and labor, it was a group effort to build that wouldn't be what it is today with out the advice and help I received from all of you.
Curly,
Yes sir, I'm very proud of Lake Marabou. It's hard to believe that I did this and that it's for real. Now that it's greening up and has begun to look like it's always been there, it's harder and harder to believe what it was before I started and that I actually did this. Maybe pride isn't the right word. Awe and disbelief are more acurate.
AllWaysBreakinSomething,
If I had to do it all over again, and knowing what it took to make it, I'm not sure that I would have done it. I underestimated what it would take by a huge margin. Financially was only a small part of it, but physically and emotionally, it was a massive thing to do on my own. My Dad helped quite a bit when he was here, but that was only for a few months at a time and then I'd be on my own again.
Renze,
I have a list of projects that I will do to finish off Lake Marabou.
First on the list is to fix the culverts. The small one has a good bulkhead of readi mix sacks that are working perfectly, but the discharge side is a disaster. I tried using old chunks of concrete to create a way to get the water to the lake without causing a bunch of erosion. This kind of works, but it's ugly.
My bigger culvert needs the cement readi mix sacks to protect it from water wearing down the sides of the culvert. It also has issues with water traveling from it to the lake.
In both culverts, I figured to put concrete down as rip rap to stop erosion. This didn't work with the amount of concrete I put down and the level of rains we had this year. In both cases, I had a mental block to use the concrete and couldn't get past that block. Then the other day, it hit me to just add to the culverts with another culvert. It's a simple, smart solution that just took me a year to figure out.
There is a crossing that I have to get around the lake that water drains into the lake along my property line. During a heavy rain, this water flows through a ditch. I need to put a culvert there and build it up so it looks attractive to allow year round access across this spot.
The overflow for the lake is a swamp that is impossible to get across when it's overflowing. I will build a bridge across this to allow me to drive my lawn mower/tractor/golf cart across this area without getting stuck. And yes, I've been stuck there twice this year. I also want it to be so nicely done that people will take pictures of it. I can build an simple bridge fairly easily, but I really want it to be something that on it's own, will be an attraction.
It's something that I've very excited about and can't wait to get started on. Unfortunately, I need the water level to be down about two feet or more in order to build this. I can lower the water level real easy with my drain, but I have too many other things going on right now to start this project. My thoughts are that I will do this in the spring before the rains hit.
I built the peninsula in the lake instead of a dock for liablity and maintenance issues. If somebody falls off of a deck, they can sue me. If they fall off of the peninsula, they just get wet. The peninsula itself is an attraction that will draw people to it, but to add to it, I have a plan drawn up for a large gazebo. I have some experience building things, but also have some ideas to that I've never done before, nor seen done before. Before I go crazy on the lake gazebo, I'm starting work on a smaller version next to my front pasture. I've already started the dirt work on this and will be starting a thread on in in the next week or so. When I finish that, I'll have a better idea of how I want to do the lake gazebo.
There is an area along the back side of the dam that I'm using to dispose of topsoil and dirt that's full of branches. This dirt isn't any good for road or pad building, so I'm dumping it behind the dam. When done, I will have a large, flat grassy picnic area that' surrounded by trees and right next to the water. This is a very long term, drawn out process that I expect to last several years at least. When done, I'll add picnic tables with cement pads to it.
The walkway around the dam has some ruts in it. I'm letting the grass grow in and fill in all the dirt right now. Then I will start building up the top of the dam with more dirt to creat a smooth hiking trail. This is very low on my list, but something that I feel must be done.
Eventually, I'll need a fish cleaning station. I've drawn up some plans for this, but haven't figured out where to put it. The thought of smelly fish guts concentrated in one location is an issue that I haven't figured out yet. I want people to have a place to clean fish that won't create a mess all over the place. I also want to put the fish guts and waste back into the water as a protein source for the fish in there.
Pat,
Thanks again for the info on the Secchi Disk. It should be fun project for me and the kids. I'll have them paint it, so who knows what it will look like. hahaha Also thanks for the advice on rotating the disk. I haven't heard that before, and wouldn't have thought of it on my own.
Keep us posted on you feeder. We've been feeding our catfish in our small pond by hand every evening. It's really allot of fun and something that Jinman showed us when we were at his place. Our kids have to take turns on feeding, as they both want to do it. hahaha
I'm not sure if we want to feed the fish in the lake or not. I know they will grow bigger, faster with feeding, but it's also something we'd prefer not to become dependent on. We've been told the fish tatse "grainy" from feeding, but don't know this for a fact. We've never ate any of our fish that we feed. We just catch them and then let them go in the lake.
Eddie
Glad you enjoyed the read. It was never planned to be such a long thread, but I guess ponds are one of those topics that allot of people are interested in. Be sure to keep us posted on yours when you start it. One thing that is consistant from everyone I've ever talked to, make it as big as you can. You will never regret it being too big, but you will always regret it being too small.
Bird,
Thanks.
Rob,
Thank you. No plans for a boat bigger then the little paddle boat that I already have. We spend more time just walking around it then going on it with the boat. The boat is a ten foot, plastic thing that I row the kids around in. I have a small outboard for it, but as of right now, it's not working.
Then "natural" look is what I was after from the very beginning. When I was building the dam and piling the dirt up, my first goal was to make it strong enough to hold the water. My second goal was to make it look natural and like it fit in with the area. To do that, I had to put allot more dirt on the dam then I had planned on. As a result, I dug out more of the bottom then I had planned in order to have enough dirt to build up the dam. Depth was not a priority, it's just a result of the need for material to make the dam look natural.
Jim,
Thanks. I now look at all ponds and even large lakes differently after building this one. I'm the same way with houses. I don't just see the house, but imagin what the framing looks like, how they trusses were built and even think about the utilities and how they were run. I've found that when I see a pond or lake, I do the same thing. I'm imagining what it took to build the dam and where those people are today.
Posting my pics and sharing the construction of it with everyone here has added to the fun of building it in a way that's hard to describe. Getting everyones input has made me rethink my ideas and even change what I'd planned on doing. While it was my idea, plan and labor, it was a group effort to build that wouldn't be what it is today with out the advice and help I received from all of you.
Curly,
Yes sir, I'm very proud of Lake Marabou. It's hard to believe that I did this and that it's for real. Now that it's greening up and has begun to look like it's always been there, it's harder and harder to believe what it was before I started and that I actually did this. Maybe pride isn't the right word. Awe and disbelief are more acurate.
AllWaysBreakinSomething,
If I had to do it all over again, and knowing what it took to make it, I'm not sure that I would have done it. I underestimated what it would take by a huge margin. Financially was only a small part of it, but physically and emotionally, it was a massive thing to do on my own. My Dad helped quite a bit when he was here, but that was only for a few months at a time and then I'd be on my own again.
Renze,
I have a list of projects that I will do to finish off Lake Marabou.
First on the list is to fix the culverts. The small one has a good bulkhead of readi mix sacks that are working perfectly, but the discharge side is a disaster. I tried using old chunks of concrete to create a way to get the water to the lake without causing a bunch of erosion. This kind of works, but it's ugly.
My bigger culvert needs the cement readi mix sacks to protect it from water wearing down the sides of the culvert. It also has issues with water traveling from it to the lake.
In both culverts, I figured to put concrete down as rip rap to stop erosion. This didn't work with the amount of concrete I put down and the level of rains we had this year. In both cases, I had a mental block to use the concrete and couldn't get past that block. Then the other day, it hit me to just add to the culverts with another culvert. It's a simple, smart solution that just took me a year to figure out.
There is a crossing that I have to get around the lake that water drains into the lake along my property line. During a heavy rain, this water flows through a ditch. I need to put a culvert there and build it up so it looks attractive to allow year round access across this spot.
The overflow for the lake is a swamp that is impossible to get across when it's overflowing. I will build a bridge across this to allow me to drive my lawn mower/tractor/golf cart across this area without getting stuck. And yes, I've been stuck there twice this year. I also want it to be so nicely done that people will take pictures of it. I can build an simple bridge fairly easily, but I really want it to be something that on it's own, will be an attraction.
It's something that I've very excited about and can't wait to get started on. Unfortunately, I need the water level to be down about two feet or more in order to build this. I can lower the water level real easy with my drain, but I have too many other things going on right now to start this project. My thoughts are that I will do this in the spring before the rains hit.
I built the peninsula in the lake instead of a dock for liablity and maintenance issues. If somebody falls off of a deck, they can sue me. If they fall off of the peninsula, they just get wet. The peninsula itself is an attraction that will draw people to it, but to add to it, I have a plan drawn up for a large gazebo. I have some experience building things, but also have some ideas to that I've never done before, nor seen done before. Before I go crazy on the lake gazebo, I'm starting work on a smaller version next to my front pasture. I've already started the dirt work on this and will be starting a thread on in in the next week or so. When I finish that, I'll have a better idea of how I want to do the lake gazebo.
There is an area along the back side of the dam that I'm using to dispose of topsoil and dirt that's full of branches. This dirt isn't any good for road or pad building, so I'm dumping it behind the dam. When done, I will have a large, flat grassy picnic area that' surrounded by trees and right next to the water. This is a very long term, drawn out process that I expect to last several years at least. When done, I'll add picnic tables with cement pads to it.
The walkway around the dam has some ruts in it. I'm letting the grass grow in and fill in all the dirt right now. Then I will start building up the top of the dam with more dirt to creat a smooth hiking trail. This is very low on my list, but something that I feel must be done.
Eventually, I'll need a fish cleaning station. I've drawn up some plans for this, but haven't figured out where to put it. The thought of smelly fish guts concentrated in one location is an issue that I haven't figured out yet. I want people to have a place to clean fish that won't create a mess all over the place. I also want to put the fish guts and waste back into the water as a protein source for the fish in there.
Pat,
Thanks again for the info on the Secchi Disk. It should be fun project for me and the kids. I'll have them paint it, so who knows what it will look like. hahaha Also thanks for the advice on rotating the disk. I haven't heard that before, and wouldn't have thought of it on my own.
Keep us posted on you feeder. We've been feeding our catfish in our small pond by hand every evening. It's really allot of fun and something that Jinman showed us when we were at his place. Our kids have to take turns on feeding, as they both want to do it. hahaha
I'm not sure if we want to feed the fish in the lake or not. I know they will grow bigger, faster with feeding, but it's also something we'd prefer not to become dependent on. We've been told the fish tatse "grainy" from feeding, but don't know this for a fact. We've never ate any of our fish that we feed. We just catch them and then let them go in the lake.
Eddie
