When we got to this property, the pond wasn’t a pond anymore. The levee had blown out years ago, the water had drained, and trees had grown up all through the bottom. From the levee it looked like a valley with a gap in it.
Rebuilding a pond like that is less like digging a new one and more like repair work, with a lot more to find out up front. Here’s how this one went.
Day one: clearing it so we could see what we had
We couldn’t tell how big the pond used to be, because the trees hid it. So the first thing we did was run the forestry mulcher through the whole bottom. Once it was cleared, we could see the original shape, mark out the shoreline, and figure out where the water line would sit. It turned out to be bigger than any of us expected.
With the shoreline marked, the plan was to rebuild the levee and pull enough dirt out of the pond to haul over and build the owner a shop pad by his new house. So the dirt we dug out for the pond had somewhere useful to go.
Rebuilding the levee so it doesn’t blow out again
A levee that already failed once needs more than a few loads of dirt. Our plan was to dig a keyway through it and repack it. A keyway is a trench cut down into solid ground under the levee, then filled with good, tight material so the new levee ties into the earth instead of just sitting on top of it. That’s what keeps water from working its way under and through.
On this job we cut the repair area back about 10 feet, took out a big rotten pine that was in the way, and dug out the bad material. Then we keyed the repair down in a T shape and packed it back in. We sealed the pond with red clay, which is the best thing around here for the job, and put a liner throughout so it doesn’t leak.
Giving extra water somewhere to go
Rain in Louisiana doesn’t come in small amounts. We built a swale on both sides of the levee so that when the pond gets more water than it can hold, the overflow leaves along a planned path and doesn’t run over the top of the levee.
Building in structure for bass
Gerald has fished all his life and spent years traveling the country in professional bass fishing. Since we were rebuilding the whole pond anyway, he put that into the design:
Stumps left below the waterline. We cut timber on the property and left some stumps under water as cover. Fish hold on that.
Ridges and points. The bottom has ridges running out from the bank and humps that sit just under the surface. Bass set up on those, and you can fish right off the points.
A channel and deep holes. We cut a ditch where water comes into the pond and made another deep hole along it. The channel splits and the ridges rise in different spots.
Nooks and crevices. We worked in a lot of small points and cuts, like a mini Toledo Bend.
Real depth. The deepest part is around 12 to 13 feet.
A boat launch so the owner can put a boat in.
On the day we wrapped up, the owner could already picture catching five-pound bass out of it.
The rest of the job
The pond was the main project, but we had a lot going at once. By day three we had two skid steers, a dozer, an excavator, and a dump truck running. Along with the pond we built the shop pad, cut a ton of trees, and moved a lot of material across the property. We also did finish grading with the Harley rake and soil prep for hydroseed around the home.
A new John Deere 650 dozer joined the crew partway through, and it earned its keep.
We don’t stop when the digging stops
Most people who want a pond don’t know what comes after the dirt work. So we tell you how to stock it, how to manage it, where to get your fish, and how to feed them. The goal is that you finish with no open questions.
Have an old pond that needs fixing, or a spot where you want a new one?
If you’ve got a blown-out levee, a pond that won’t hold water, or a piece of land where you’d like to build one, tell us what you have. We’ll walk the land and give you a straight answer on what it’ll take.
Call or text us at 225-715-9745, message us on Facebook, or visit louisianalandpros.com.