Blairgowrie Posted May 3, 2009 Share Posted May 3, 2009 As some of you know, I am in the process of having a new trout pond built. A couple of weeks ago a good friend of mine who has a logging and landscaping business dropped by to ask if I had any peat moss for sale. He uses it to mix with topsoil which gives the top soil a good texture and colour and adds bulk. I have always wanted to build another pond and have been clearing an area with lots of springs so it didn't take long for us to arrive at a beneficial arrangement for both of us. He gets all the peat moss he wants in exchange for building the new pond. Within a few days his excavator arrived and work commenced immediately. So far he has been in for three days and the following photographs represent what has been accomplished so far. I will update this thread, with more photos, as the digging progresses. The next photograph shows the pond starting to take shape. He has dug down about 6 feet and the water has immediately come up. On the left hand side, he has started to form a berm, which will be about 8ft high. This will allow a total pond depth of 14ft which is a must if the trout are to survive the Canadian winter. The pond bottom and berm is clay and stone which will take about 6 months to dry out before the pond can be shaped and finally flooded. On the right hand side, he has started to form an island to provide ducks and geese with a nesting sanctuary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perfesser Posted May 3, 2009 Share Posted May 3, 2009 Nice BG. Not all ponds turn out well around there, water table can do funny things. Some people will find this funny but around there clay is a rare and valuable commodity. We have a couple of much smaller ponds at our place, the first was dug by hand(my father was a little crazy about his trout like that). One year we must have gotten an invasive weed during the stocking process and it's been a battle. I did find a natural control. Sterile grass carp, haven't been able to find a place to get some though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trout Posted May 3, 2009 Share Posted May 3, 2009 Wow! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tribunus Posted May 3, 2009 Share Posted May 3, 2009 Well done BG. And not just the pond. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tonar Posted May 3, 2009 Share Posted May 3, 2009 The wife and I will be visiting this summer BG. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JensenPark Posted May 3, 2009 Share Posted May 3, 2009 And here you guys snicker when I tell tales of how rich this megalomaniac guy is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoubleTap Posted May 3, 2009 Share Posted May 3, 2009 "As some of you know, I am in the process of having a new trout pond built." The last trout pond BG had built... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jediteo Posted May 3, 2009 Share Posted May 3, 2009 The dead sea was one of BGs half finished projects. Nice piece of land you have there BG. We hired an excavator when we made our rosegarden, got bored of operating that thing after about an hour. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perfesser Posted May 3, 2009 Share Posted May 3, 2009 It is a little known fact that Georgian Bay was once known as Gowrie Bay but he lost it to some guy named George Champlain over a card game and a bottle of whiskey way back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JensenPark Posted May 3, 2009 Share Posted May 3, 2009 LOL @ Pervesser Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BadAim Posted May 3, 2009 Share Posted May 3, 2009 Well done BG. And not just the pond. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blairgowrie Posted May 4, 2009 Author Share Posted May 4, 2009 Well done BG. And not just the pond. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tribunus Posted May 4, 2009 Share Posted May 4, 2009 Right on boys. No point in me paying tax on revenue from the peat moss. Much better to offset the excavator costs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blairgowrie Posted June 13, 2009 Author Share Posted June 13, 2009 The pond diggers are returning next week for a week. Should have some new photos soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HH_RitterCuda Posted June 13, 2009 Share Posted June 13, 2009 cool how deep will it be when done? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JensenPark Posted June 13, 2009 Share Posted June 13, 2009 I'm going to be in the general area in early September I think... BG - try to have it ready for my visit. Perv/Trout/Strider et al - will give you advance notice and we can all descend up Chez Gowrie for a meet up. I'm sure there will be enough room in the guest house's guest house's servants quarters guest house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blairgowrie Posted June 13, 2009 Author Share Posted June 13, 2009 cool how deep will it be when done? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jediteo Posted June 13, 2009 Share Posted June 13, 2009 You know BG 6' is the distance in which a body no longer smells when covered with earth. Coicidence or does BG have an alternate agenda? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HH_RitterCuda Posted June 13, 2009 Share Posted June 13, 2009 As I said when building the house. "I have a backhoe and 40 acres and not afraid to use it! "... strange I never failed and inspection. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enforcer57 Posted June 14, 2009 Share Posted June 14, 2009 Man, what a great place for a shooting range................for M-1 tanks. You could build a real airbase there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blairgowrie Posted June 15, 2009 Author Share Posted June 15, 2009 A couple of new developments. The guy who is digging the pond has offered me a 50 - 50 partnership in a High Ho. He is taking his excavator operator to a Ritchie Auction next Monday and they will look for a good in the region of $30,000. He has a full time mechanic on staff and a good shop. I have always been worried about a big repair bill on a excavator and this seems to mitigate this issue. He also has a float to move it around which is another concern I had. I don't have any spare cash right now but the wife has. She is on side. He is also logging some of my trees right now and I will contra the trees against landscaping services when he builds the pond. That will save me paying tax on the proceeds of his logging. The following are some photos taken today of one of his loggers skiddingout a couple of trees cut very close to the house. He cut them as I pushed them over with the backhoe. They were both leaning towards the house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tonar Posted June 15, 2009 Share Posted June 15, 2009 I can see trout rising in your other pond. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2. Administrators Jabo Posted June 17, 2009 2. Administrators Share Posted June 17, 2009 NO FAIR!! What a fantastic place to live in ~S~ Jim, hope you're well Jabo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreyKnight Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 In that last picture, what is that white windmill thing for? You see a lot of them over your side of the pond. Are they some sort of wind powered pump or generator? I see now it says '#### Pumper.' Or is it... dun dun derrrr... a mini oil rig? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rattler Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 They're aerators, GreyKnight. They oxygenate the water. Keeps things healthy, just like an aquarium. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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