What do you wear to clean out your pond?

Wear a wet suit or fishing waders that go to the waist Or above. Better yet drain the pond with a siphon hose before working on it.

I would drain the pond. The water is smelly anyway, so once you clean out the plants, fresh water will smell much nicer. Plus, you won't run into any surprises.

@ShirleyHeikkinen has a very good answer. And definitely start by draining. When the pond is cleaned out, get about three carp, maybe a foot long each. They should be able to keep your pond clean. Best wishes 😇

Waders ( Waterproof Trousers)

Buy fish waders-you will need them as long as you have the pond

My husband does the koi pond cleaning and drains what he can (save the water for plants) and then wears waders. Even with the boots, be very careful as everything underfoot is quite slippery!

I guess I am now in the market for a pair of waders! THANK YOU TO ALL who answered! This is wonderful to see responses so fast. It seems unanimous that waders are the way to go, I was thinking yes probably overall style ( thanks for mentioning that - above the waist) and good point about needing the waders for as many years as we expect to have the pond.

We started the thing with 3 koi/ carp. We bought some that could hibernate under the ice for the winter and it worked. But we did not replace them as they died (or were eaten we think) Woud be nice to have some again . I also am dreading starting a siphon but I know I can do it. I know it will be slippery, but I appreciate the reminder. Need to pull myself together for this project while the CT weather is still warm!

Thanks again.