If your pond is shallow, the lack of sunlight will cause the plants to die. An average Michigan pond ice can reach 12'' thick and ad some inches of snow onto that and sunlight will be prevented from penetrating. It’s not that the fish actually freeze in the ice, they just get robbed over there oxygen. Winter freeze is the main killer of fish. Clay sides will provide great depth in small ponds. To achieve a greater depth with these soil conditions a larger pond may be needed. You may dig the pond to a depth of 20' while excavation is being done, but over time the slopes will start falling into the greater depths and fill in, over couple year’s time. If your pond has sandy slopes or a swampy much edge than a small pond 100' x 100' will probably not hold a 15' depth for fish survival. So a lot of times digging some of the pond 8' to 12' deep to keep the weeds down and then punch in a few holes of greater depth to save on cost, and still have winter survival of fish here in MI. 1,500 more yards of dirt that need be moved. Every depth below that in 1' increments equals approx. If you take a one acre pond 200' x 200' and dig 10' deep you come up with approx. By not going the deepest depth through the whole pond you will be saving around 15,000 yards of material that need not be moved. Or we can just dig 25' strait though the entire pond. This is only done to save on the cost of the pond. If the pond is large enough, say 1 acre we can dig a couple holes in the pond 15' to 20' deep and maybe 25' round. However, the average pond we dig is 12' deep throughout and depending on the size at least one area 15' deep. A couple variables come into play with fish pond depth.Įveryone wants a pond super deep.

Stainless steel screening on the top reduces frontal shock wave and prevents loss of the sample. A spring-loaded release mechanism is triggered once the dredge makes impact with the bottom. All you end up doing is raking debris.I have never heard any body ever say my pond is way to deep can we hire Schlicht Excavating to come fill it in. Ideal for obtaining most types of bottom material The dredge’s two-way mechanism prevents accidental closure while the dredge is in transit. I usually work about 75 feet from the pin to about 50 feet past it.Īvoid areas under trees that may have shed large limbs and massive beds of leaves, or have lilly pads and cat tails. The best areas to fish are those with open bank areas. In rare cases, the tine will catch the lip of an upside down disc and drag it to the bank. The water pressure will hold it in place against the tines.

Believe me, you'll increase your find!įrom experience, the disc will 'flip up' on its edge once the rake tine hits it. When combing an area, overlap your throws by half the rake width. You may bend a rod if you get hung up, but the rake will not be lost.įishing Tips: Allow the rake to settle to the bottom, then pull at a steady and smooth rate of about 1 foot per second. The purpose is to make sure the rake doesn't get lost if a glued joint fails, or the rake hangs on something underwater. Rope MUST go through both ends of the rake. Drill additional holes between the rods and along the lower angle pieces to allow the rake to fill with water, so it will sink. ĝrill 3/8' holes for rods 4.5' on center. ĝRILL HOLES SLOWLY AND CAREFULLY TO AVOID BREAKING THE PIPE. THESE ARE THE LAST PIECES CUT TO INSURE PROPER LENGTH. Length of cross piece holding rods is 51'. Over tightening could result in breaking the pipe. Nuts are tight enough to hold the rod in place, but be careful. Use the pictures provided below as an assembly guide. I've pulled hundreds of discs out with mine, sometimes two and three at a time! For about $30, you can build a solid lake rake with common materials found at your local home improvement or hardware store.

Homemade pond dredge