Pond Update! How To Test If It Will Hold Water S9 #20 

Take advantage of the drained pond and add STRUCTURE if you want for fishing! Fish need structure, not a saucepan bottom. You have a great opportunity to add structure ... dead trees in 5-gallon cement buckets, rock piles, dig out areas and make dirt piles for slopes, 55-gallon barrels open on both ends, chimney pipes, etc.

I had my pond fixed. Trackhoe dug it down a few feet, dozer put it back in layers about 6 inches deep, and a vibrating sheep's foot packed it rock hard. It has never held water for before, and with very little rain, it already has water standing in the bottom. It was good clay, but it just needed packed in really tight.

I'm looking at videos about ponds. I heard you say "here in the Ozarks". I was immediately excited! That's where I am, am worried about the rocks! Clay isn't usually an issue, it's the rocks!! I've got a home in town and that yard is an anomaly! I've dug faily large holes to plant trees and bushes. There aren't any rocks!! I've literally not hit a single rock in 10 years in my yard! The land I want to build a pond on is just over the state line in Oklahoma. Its within a short walk (through the pasture and woods) the from Dripping Springs from Where the Red Fern Grows. That soil doesn't have the deep red veins of clay, but it's faily dense with red clay, but much rocky.

Enjoyed the video. I have never seen a pond being built until your time lapse video . and enjoyed the soil and water test. it made a lot of sense to me and I even feels like I learned something today

Glad that your getting somewhere with your pond! I’ve been waiting to see the final product for awhile now!

Thanks for the update, I was just thinking about your pond last week.

A bulldozer is not a good compacting tool otherwise it would get stuck in the mud easy. You need a vibrating roller to compact your pond . Your truck would be better than the dozer. Your bucket test was a great lesson. Your sure doing great things to your property. Keep on keeping on and Best of luck always and thanks for sharing your videos.

Keep the vids coming!! Lookin good!!!

Great video.. don't plan on putting a pond in but if I do I'll keep this in mind.

Thanks for the information we went through something similar with a pond we had done.

Great video blog Steven ! Too bad the Red clay is too rocky. I also appreciate the honesty of your videos. Somethings work ... somethings don’t ! That’s real life !

Thanks I have hope . We added lots of bentonite and red silt. Still leaking. Now we have to pack it down . Wish me luck . Always wanted a fishing pond

Thanks for the good information.

Very cool the pond should be a great addition to all you other hard work in keeping the deer around. Your herd should be very happy.

I would add more clay and bring in a compacter or roller and really pack it down, and also like Scott said, add some structure also, get some big rocks and make and rock pile or rock wall on one side, even some dead christmas trees in the bottom. I cant wait to see the pond with water and fish!! i would love to have an acre pond!

Kudos / props for going through the work on the pond. You do what you need to get done & that water source should pay off for wildlife.

You can use water to seal it. Dams have been constructed using water to sift out the fine particles of clay (which compress much better). Set in piles and use water (like hydraulic mining) to “sift it”. The resulting sand and clay (sand usually settles faster to the bottom -bad thing for holding water) separation gives you the “fines” you are looking for. (See construction of Lake Murray dam.)

Looks like you're almost there! Then it's swimming time!

Sorry you haven't had much water but as you say the pond is doing what you wanted to as far as the animals coming to it and the sign shows that is happening even at just the little area that has some water. The packing you did by running your smooth wheels on your truck does your sure help as you have seen as yes if you can get some smooth clay with little or no rock in it and pack it down with smooth tires once it packs tight it should help lots for sure good luck on the pond. So way to go if have the problem solved from your test so best of luck on getting all the pond packed like you did in the bucket Thanks for the great info and the great video and may God Bless

Look and sounds like it will work good luck on the pond sounds like a great minutes idea to build it for you dad so he can fish.Godbless hunting brother

That dry clay will soak up a lot of water. You want to let it get a little wet from rain then borrow a smooth drum roller to compact it. This will seal the clay. You'll know it's right when the clay doesn't move under the roller and is not dusty. If you're seeing ruts and the clay looks like it's rolling underneath the drum then it's too wet. A bigger roller will pulverize a lot of those rocks too. Without a constant water source like a spring, I think you'll end up with some shallow areas when it get's hot and sunny no matter what. Just as long as the water doesn't get too hot and kill your fish.

Nice pond ...

You should rent a roller and get it packed good. The smooth drum of the roller should get it sealed up pretty good I would think. Would be a little scary on the hills though...

Did he say 10 feet? Why in the world would you only build a 10 foot deep pond? Water gets really hot when you only have a 10 foot deep pond especially when a pond is constantly turning over and your fish need oxygen during the turnover. But, great video thanks for sharing what you learned

I was wondering how you were going to test it. Good idea

I know this is super old but seen it in recommended. But I build ponds with dozers and have done many with a track skidsteee I believe your problem was when they tracked everything in the lifts where to big and that’s why you didn’t get the proper compaction. I’d say you have it fix now but with a skid steer I wall in my pond dams is 4inch lifts dozer about 6inch and vibratory roller would be your best bet just wet it and roll and it will be tight as concrete.

hope pond works out for you, to far away or else I would give you all the blue clay you want. we put in a half acre but got lucky because a few springs fill ours

Awesome deal. Getting to fish in ur own pond. Hopefully get some rain

after packing pond make sure no trees on dam. roots will let water weep out and weaken it. a gentleman I know bored a well and uses a solar powered pump to fill his pond when needed

Just wet it rent a compactor and compact it 4-5 times, each time wetting it lightly before each compaction. Your truck isnt heavy enough to completely compact rhe soil, kind of like your bucket test first you compacted with a stick then your body weight. Need more compaction

Get a big black top roller in there

I wish I could send you some Georgia red clay. then you would be all set. still praying for rain for you all.thanks for the update and GOD bless.

I did a second test today 50 feet away from center of future pond location and found some clay material. I believe I will move the pond location if the clay content is constant and just haul some clay if needed. I did do 2 jar test to calculate clay percentage and a bucket test in the works which I will check tomorrow. I still have to see how much a compactor will cost me for about 4 hours.

I heard letting pigs stomp around in a dry pond for a season is all it takes. Put up a small fence around your perimeter. You can also use premier one electric fence and raise em! Right in their fave habitat! A sloppy mud hole

Add an aerator in the bottom of the pond to turn the pond water over so the whole pond is oxygenated for the fish.

That's fantastic! I've been wondering how the pond was coming along but I knew you guy were lacking rain. You should just rent a vibrating drum roller one weekend and spend a day rolling it down? I would think for a few hundred buck you could be fishing this time next year! Good luck what ever way you go! I know you have it soon!

I hope your pond seals. I have a small problem with getting my soil to sit so I can grow grass next to where I grew my grass last year. I think the problem is very similar. It’s not holding moisture, the soil that I buy gets washed away and I’m left with rocky soil in parts. Do you have any suggestions on how to get soil to stick on small slopes? I’m going to try the straw/grass over soil and seed trick this week to see if that works. It’s been a frustrating summer for my grass growth. Any suggestions would help? Thanks for doing what you do, Steve! God bless! Ryan

Yea buddy got my spypoint camera today all ready to put out thanks for the recommendation.

May want to run some electrical to the pond for an aerator.

I have always used 12"s of clay as a rule. No if you want to use another source of Bentonite unscented cat liter ( the real cheap stuff) is bentonite clay just FYI

Rent a riding cobra tamper The style that has big rubber tires with roller in front. That will compact it and seal .. we use them in construction. For compaction

So you think I should put down an liner in my fish pond to hold in

That’s unfortunate that your pond isn’t holding water. Hope your addition of the new clay works for you and doesn’t set ya back too much.

Let those cows back in it for a while, they do a good job of packing it down, although somewhat slower lol.

Get a big roller/compactor

Bring in a large vibra roller after a light rain and you’ll be done with it.

Vibra roller and more clay. Maybe a foot

Get some hogs to pack it. Then you can eat the afterwards.

If your pond is leaking like the bucket you are greatly increasing the local ground water.

Great video, I’m in the planning stage of a 4 acre pond, the back half will have large rocks/boulders on the bottom to create habitat for fish, and the front being smooth bottom for swimming. Atleast on our land I know having trees surround the low points so the roots hold the soil together and create some shade for wildlife during Texas summer.

I can't believe I'm commenting on a hunting site, because my comments would be negative. HOWEVER, this video has been wonderful. I've learnt so much re soil holding water, which is very important to me at the moment. Will watch your next video 'Fishing pond build holds water - update'. Thank you. NOTE: I hope your hunting is not just for sport. When you kill wild animals I hope that you eat them, and use ALL of the animal. Sorry, I couldn't help myself!! BUT I'm not completely blameless, as I too have shot wild ducks when a youngster living in the bush. [supplemented our food]. Cooked in rough red wine, veg and herbs - delicious]. Never again, but I still salivate [ashamedly] when I see wild ducks. Cheers, Pat [Australia].

Typo Meant Vibration tamper

looks bone dry! hope you get it figured out!

I don't understand why you didn't put a liner in

Skip to 5:30 to see the test with uncompacted red clay. Spoiler alert. It leaks out. Then skip to 7:20 for the test with compacted red clay. Spoiler alert. It holds water. Everything else in this 12 minute video is just this guy jabbering to the camera. There's nothing else to learn here. You can thank me later.

get ducks there poo will seal it up