Author Topic: Digging out a trout pond, any advice? (Read 22309 times)

Helencus · « **Reply #30 on:** January 04, 2011, 01:03:15 pm »

Lmao seriously you must live in Leicestershire! Now did they also have to approve the colour you painted them and the fencing.. Brown of course but got to be the right shade of brown!!!
They refused me permission to put lights in mine.. I mean seriously how is that impacting anyone but the horses and the ease with which I can see to them in the winter.. Had them fitted in the end and damn the consequences! Any way were hijacking the thread we should start another thread stupidest planning depts and crappy conditions!

waterhouse · « **Reply #31 on:** January 04, 2011, 01:32:09 pm »

They refused lighting? Don't see working in the dark around horses in anyone's best practice safety manual!

We didn't mention lighting, just put it in, but a month of doing it by head torches was convincing. I can understand high level manege lighting being a prob for the neighbours but stable lighting is such a benefit.

Sorry about the thread...

Bright Raven · « **Reply #32 on:** January 09, 2011, 12:07:36 am »

Fine by me. The problems I have had trying to get permission for a poly tunnel has made me cross eyed with anger. Local planning, pah, I say job retention and creation for weak chinned bureaucrats with no imagination and a love of stone cladding. Eff em all.

Helencus · « **Reply #33 on:** January 09, 2011, 03:41:53 pm »

Couldn't have put it better myself :-)

johnmac · « **Reply #34 on:** January 09, 2011, 07:42:13 pm »

Hi there. Don't know how you are getting on with your pond plan.. But I'd be happy to offer any advice should you wish. I live in Scotland and have been in trout farming for close to 15yrs. I mostly grow rainbow trout, around 5million per year, but I have also grown Brown trout, salmon, sea trout, artic Charr and brook trout in the past.

All of our fish leave the farm alive either for trout fisheries or ponds or to other fish farms. So should you need any advice, ask away! :-)

Barcud · « **Reply #35 on:** January 15, 2011, 06:37:08 pm »

You need to give this a lot of thought.
Why do you want trout in the pond - you're likely to need a licence to stock them, and they require very good water quality and high oxygen levels - either a flowing input from a clean stream, or a good clean spring supply. They won't survive long in a muddy pond, and especially a lined pond with no inflow.
You'll also need something bigger than a mini-digger to create the pond. To be honest you need a pretty big pond/small lake to keep trout. It would be cheaper to go out and buy the fish from a fishmongers.
However even a small pond, that dries up every now and again can have a high conservation value - but don't put fish in them, and keep the ducks away as they will enrich the pond and it will become a green soup. If you want to create a wildlife pond, the Pond Conservation website is very good. The key points are to make it nice and uneven, large amount of edge, and plenty of shallows, and avoid islands! Leave the pond to colonise naturally - don't be tempted to introduce plants as they may bring nasty invasives in with them.
Planning - this varies from council to council, but for a small pond away from sight - I wouldn't bother

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Bright Raven · « **Reply #36 on:** January 16, 2011, 07:36:23 pm »

Yes, I am starting to realise that trout may well be a bit too ambitious for the land we have available, also lack of oxygenation is going to be a problem. The thinking and researching continues ......... Thank you too johnmac for your kind offer of help and Barcud for your practical and sensible advice.

johnmac · « **Reply #37 on:** January 16, 2011, 07:40:21 pm »

If you have a burn, stream, brook, river or spring to hand then you can have a pond with trout in it... If you don't have any of the above, no chance I'm afraid!

Coarse fish such as carp, perch, roach, rudd will do well in a still water

Bright Raven · « **Reply #38 on:** January 16, 2011, 07:43:58 pm »

There is a brook on adjacent land, at the corner of the field our ditch turns into this brook owned by the next landowner. I might be able to oxygenate if I can re direct things a bit. I will have to think about it and chat to Mr W (traditional gentleman farmer) and see what he thinks.

lazybee · « **Reply #39 on:** January 31, 2011, 03:30:18 pm »

Quote from: johnmac on January 16, 2011, 07:40:21 pm

If you have a burn, stream, brook, river or spring to hand then you can have a pond with trout in it... If you don't have any of the above, no chance I'm afraid!

Coarse fish such as carp, perch, roach, rudd will do well in a still water

I just found this post. 100% correct, I'm a trout fisherman and all the fisheries I've visited have a feed/return to a nice clean flowing river. Even if you want to farm Carp they need high quality water if you want them for the table. Start coarse fishing that's the way

I'm thinking about having a small trout lake if I ever get enough spare money. I'm lucky enough to have a running river flowing through ours. Here in France you can dig a small lake on your own land as long as you don't take water if the same volume is exiting it's okay.