Topband: Beverage question

[Clint Talmadge]

I have been reading on Beverage antennas in an effort to install at least one here at my home. The problem I have run into is that my house sits on top of a hill and for a large part is surrounded by woods. In John Devoldere's Low Band DXing book (second edition) he states to NOT run a beverage through the woods. One of the directions I can go that is not through the woods is South West (VKs & ZLs), but that would put the wire across a pond. The wire would be about 20 feet above the surface of the pond, if I were to mount the antenna at 5 feet (or so) at ends.  Would the antenna benefit from a "counterpoise" wire suspended under the primary wire and grounded at both ends, at the original 5 foot height?  Would the "counterpoise" wire provide the requisite lossy earth under the antenna to work, or am I just wasting wire?

 

Clint - W5CPT