I'm fired up to, Iteago!  I really enjoy helping people with their ponds, and bluegill are my specialty so I especially enjoy that.  If I understand correctly that you're building a house on the property, maybe you won't have as much of a problem with trespassers once you move there?  That generally makes a big difference, being there to watch it, and the trespassers knowing you're there.

You'll be my first client outside the state of Tennessee so I'm especially motivated to help you really turn your pond into something special!  I'll send you a PM with my phone number in case I haven't already given it to you - just give me a holler when you get back over this way and we'll get cranking on that pond.

Forgot to say, an extra acre will make a big difference, give you a lot more water which translates to a lot more carrying capacity, i.e. a lot more big bluegill you can grow in the pond.  I definitely think that would be a great first step.  And you're on the right track looking for an experienced pond builder - make sure to get someone who's built and worked on a lot of ponds, as there are lots of dirt movers out there who think it's easy to work on a pond, but if they haven't done it they're likely to screw it up.  Also, some of them charge substantially more than others, so if you get quoted a price that seems way high, run it by me and I can tell you whether it's reasonable or not.

That's a great picture of you and your wife!  I'm sure she'll be glad when April gets here and you make it home - guessing you'll be glad to see her too.  That's a nice-looking bass too - that's funny that you had a pet bass - stinks that someone caught him.

As far as a ball-park figure, you should be able to get the expansion done for somewhere around $10K, maybe less than that.  It just depends on the guy you talk to, whether he's a good guy or someone trying to gouge people.  You might ask him if some of the clearing work could be done by an experienced dirt mover you know, see what he says.