I just put in this pond:

And I opted to not put in a plastic liner. There was a lot of clay in the soil, and the person who put it in recommended putting in a drain so that if the pond overflowed it would drain out. I was thinking of putting some fish in it but in reading this site, seems like you have to have a liner and pumps etc.

I think the pond is about 2 1/2 feet deep and is roughly 25 or 30 feet by 10 feet in a bean shape.

I put down a bunch of grass seed and its basically filled up in two days of rain. the bottom is solid granite. It should be clear in a week or so.

Anyone have any advice for me?

thanks
ryan.

I'm sorry but I couldn't get your page to load on my slow dial-up connection. So, the bottom is granite and the sides clay? If you find that it holds water over the long term, you could try some fish in there. They may stir up dirt while rooting in the bottom so it can be hard to keep dirt ponds clear all the time. My page on dirt and farm ponds is at http://www.fishpondinfo.com/farm.htm
You can have fish without a liner. Having some water movement, at least from a fountain is a good idea though. Good luck!