We finally did it. The backyard pond is officially DRAINED. What started as a muddy 4-foot puddle holding who-knows-what turned into a massive rescue mission in the thickest mud imaginable. We brought in the gas trash pump, moved thousands of gallons of water out into the woods, and scooped out an absolute multitude of fish species that were somehow surviving in this little hole. This is Part 1 of the ultimate backyard pond restoration series. We are taking this shallow puddle and turning it into a 60x40, 8-foot deep, crystal-clear Texas bass paradise complete with a natural rock riparian edge. But before we can bring in the heavy equipment to start digging the basin and hauling bentonite, we had to empty it out and see exactly what we were dealing with. Drop a comment and let me know what species surprised you the most! Hit SUBSCRIBE and turn on notifications so you don't miss Part 2 where we fire up the excavators, carve out the marginal shelf, and start moving some serious dirt. ...