How to Dig a Bass Pond the Right Way: A Louisiana Pond Digging Progress Update

Looking for a pond digging contractor in Louisiana? Here's a real look at what goes into building a bass pond that actually produces good fishing, straight from a current job.

If you've ever thought about hiring someone to dig you a pond and figured "how hard can it be, just dig a hole and let it fill up with water," we're here to tell you it's a lot more involved than that. We're in the middle of a pond digging project right now, and it's a good example of what actually goes into building a pond that's going to hold good fish for years to come, not just a hole that fills up with water.

What size excavator do you need to dig a pond?

On this job we've been running two different sized excavators, a 135 and a 210, side by side to compare how they handle pond digging work. The 135 got the job done, but once we got in here moving dirt with the 210, the difference in efficiency was obvious. We're planning on adding the 210 to our equipment lineup because of it. Excavator size matters a lot when you're digging a pond, since bigger equipment can move more dirt faster and dig deeper without as many passes.

When a tree changes your pond digging plans

Early on, we dug out the pond basically by eye and figured the water level would land about where we wanted it. But there was a tree on the property that changed things. We wanted to save that tree so the customer has a nice shady spot to fish from, and that meant the water level needed to work around where the tree sits.

After running the laser level on it, we realized the area was too shallow for what we needed. So we went back in and dug it out deeper, cutting a valley down through that section of the pond. It's a good reminder that digging a pond isn't something you just eyeball and walk away from. Little adjustments like this are part of getting it right, and it's one of the reasons hiring an experienced pond builder pays off.

Building a spawning flat for bream and bluegill

Down in one section of the pond, we're working on a flat area, somewhere in the 4 to 6 foot range, that's going to serve as a spawning area. Bass will spawn along the shoreline pretty much anywhere, but bream and bluegill need a good flat area to spawn in. That matters more than people realize, because those bream are one of the main forage sources for the bass in the pond. A pond that's good for bream is a pond that's going to grow good bass.

Adding structure: a channel, stumps, and a deep hole

We also dug a channel down the middle of the pond, and we're placing some big stumps we pulled out during clearing into different spots throughout the pond. Those stumps create cover for fish, giving them places to hold and ambush points to hunt from.

Then there's the deep hole, which we dug about 20 feet down. We dug as deep as we could from the bank, then got the excavator down in there to finish it out. A deep hole like this matters most in the heat of summer. When the water up top warms up, fish can drop down into that deeper, cooler water where oxygen levels hold up better.

Why pond design matters more than just digging a hole

You can't just go dig a hole and call it a pond. Building a pond that actually produces good fishing takes some knowledge of what these fish need at every stage, from spawning to summer heat. That's the kind of thing we pay attention to on every pond we dig, because we want to make sure the customer ends up with a pond they're proud of, not just a hole full of water.

This one isn't finished yet, but it's getting close. We'll keep you posted as it comes together.

Looking for someone to dig you a pond in Louisiana? Give us a call and we'll come take a look at your land and talk through what it would take to build you a pond that's actually set up for good fishing.