re: Digging a Pond Questions - Best way for fish and managing snakes?

Have you checked to see if there is a clay pan underneath your land? You may end up digging a hole that leaks like a sieve, and will have to install a pump, or pumps, to hold water. The LDWF used to publish a book about pond construction; perhaps they still do. Does your land have a slope? Maybe use can build a small levee to retain water.

Here's a reference:

LINK

Oh, and you cannot "manage" snakes. Gators may find your pond as well.