i just moved back into my moms place. and on her land is a natural pond about 4 acres in size. she was told that years ago beavers dammed up a creek and the pond resulted. the problem is there is what seems to be lilly pads that have taken over almost every bit of water in the pond. i know there are some sort of fish in the pond because i have watched minnows scatter walking up to the water and have had a few hits on top water flys. we want to find a way to take care of the lilly pads tho. we want to clean it up so we can put a dock in and a few paddle boats for every one to enjoy it. has any one had the problem before or have an idea where we can start. i realize it will be a very large project but it would nice to have it opened back up so the family can enjoy it.
overgrown pond help
- Thread starter thrillbillie12
- Start date
Hello; My recall may be rusty as I studied farm ponds in the 70's, so verify my comments. That the lilly pads cover the entire surface is a strong indicator that there is no deep area left in the pond. Being a beaver pond it may have never had a very deep section to begin with. All ponds and lakes fill in with silt, leaves and plants over time, usually from the bank inward. It is a natural process. I seem to recall that ponds were suggested to have an section somewhere around 15 feet or so deep.
Not sure about any simple way to clear the plants. There was a pond near where my father lived in Indianapolis of a few acres from which I caught a lot of huge brim and the occasional nice bass. It was choked with algae and other plants but the fish were plentiful. One year the owners treated it with herbicide. Once the plants were gone the fish population was never the same or as nice. Same sort of thing happened to Martin's Fork Lake in Harlan Ky when they decided to reduce the plant growth. (I think they used the grass carp.) I use to catch a lot of nice fish out of the dense plant growth but not so much later. It did make the small sandy beach area clear for the swimmers.
I guess you could somehow mechanically clear the plants, but it will sort of like mowing the lawn in that it will have to be done over and over.
Lilly pads have a spiky undersurface, I believe, so even the crass carp may not eat them.
Not sure about any simple way to clear the plants. There was a pond near where my father lived in Indianapolis of a few acres from which I caught a lot of huge brim and the occasional nice bass. It was choked with algae and other plants but the fish were plentiful. One year the owners treated it with herbicide. Once the plants were gone the fish population was never the same or as nice. Same sort of thing happened to Martin's Fork Lake in Harlan Ky when they decided to reduce the plant growth. (I think they used the grass carp.) I use to catch a lot of nice fish out of the dense plant growth but not so much later. It did make the small sandy beach area clear for the swimmers.
I guess you could somehow mechanically clear the plants, but it will sort of like mowing the lawn in that it will have to be done over and over.
Lilly pads have a spiky undersurface, I believe, so even the crass carp may not eat them.
dredging channels, you can't beat nature in nature. I would not recommend doing any herbicides as you don't know where they go downstream. Any introduction on non-native species is going to be bad news. Perhaps talk to local EPA to see if they can introduce something native to help clear some vegetation i.e. crayfish, clams. I would not do it alone with out some bigger Environmental Agency helping out.
My grand parents and parents each have ponds in WI and more then likely your main problem is the water coming in may be very toxic from farm run off and the plants are acting as filters, that as stated earlier you probably don't have any deep areas. For one of my Grandmothers ponds we knocked out the head wall and re dug it with a back hoe and then installed a larger drain pipe, in heavy rains it would flood, and replaced the head wall and allowed it to refill naturally. My parents paid some one to come in and dig their cabins pond deeper. You may want to check with the Army corp of engineers on building a proper pond. That is who Maintains my Grandmothers 2 acre pond . It serves to contain heavy seasonal rains to prevent floods down stream. You could also pay some one to dredge the pond deeper but it is very expensive. A local habitat restoration group out here got a quote of 20 grand for a 1/2 acre pond that has been over run with cat tails.
Your best long term thing is to do it right and use native methods. I have seen lots of people try many different quick fixes and they just have the same problem next year.
Your best long term thing is to do it right and use native methods. I have seen lots of people try many different quick fixes and they just have the same problem next year.