Is there an easy way to dredge / clean a lake channel without using heavy equipment?

I want to remove loose sediment and weeds from a channel. It is loose but I can not drive a boat into it becaue the sedimate has built up to about 1 foot more or less from the top of the water. It consistes of maily muck and I will sink up to my chest or more into it. Looking for an easy solution. Suggestions?

Answers:
yes there is an easy solution although carol H was partially right about the vacuming just a pond pump wouldn't do the job as it would tend to clog the pump and burn it up. However as i am a hobby gold prospector we use a pice of equipment that woould be perfect for the job it is called a gold dredge we use them to suck up gravel out of streams to trap the gold but it works well just for moving all types of setiment try going to this web site and check out the many links and info with a bit of reseach chances are you can find a place that rents them or some one that is close that may have one or depending on size of the job you may decide just to purchase one as some are resonably priced. here is the web site www.goldprospectors.org and look for info on gold dredges the perfect tool for what you need to do.

Other answers:
Let it drain, might have to be dammed. Let it dry out and then take down the dam.
Let it drain, might have to be dammed. Let it dry out and then take down the dam.
a pond pump and a good filter system to protect it.

you can submerge the pump and with a long flexible hose pull water from the channel area, virtually vacuuming it and letting the pump return water to the lake above/before the channel

some chemicals available to safely break down vegetation in ponds. too

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Depends on how much you want too or can spend.

Drain the pond, and bypass the inlet.
have someone come in and excavate it.

Depending on how large the pond it, you could have a backhoe come in and clean some of it out. other wise you could hire someone with a dredge to come in and clean it out.
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