Pond Boss Forums STOCKING A NEW POND Types of fish to choose What species will work best in my ponds?

EDT

Wow, what a chronicle this thread has been - neat watching it evolve.

You're at a special juncture in your pond project, and it's important to get these initial stocking numbers right.

IMO, 600 YP is FAR too many. YP serve as a predator in your pond, not unlike SMB or WE, and recommending that qty should be reserved for your panfish.

I stocked 400 YP in my four acre pond, and even that was heavy, but my pond management plan involved harvesting YP liberally through the ice, putting the qty into perspective.

My advice to you at this juncture is to add your PS if you haven't, and 600-800 sounds like a feasible qty. 50 - 75 SMB and 75-100 YP would be my recommendation.

Travis is right, stocking sizes are important - what sizes are available to you? Also important to remember is that your pond will be unique in that it lacks a predator with a gape capable of readily preying on your PS - like LMB. With that in mind, it's been discussed throughout the forum that PS may overpopulate and stunt as a result. Dave Willis has witnessed this happening, while Adirondack Pond doesn't have any issues with his PS population. Unfortunately this subject, the PS role in the pond, is still murky. I can't speak from experience with PS, but I know this is the case with BG who lack the presence of LMB. With that in mind you may need to consider an aggressive pond management strategy that entails periodically culling your PS, trapping, seining, etc. in order to keep populations manageable, and your PS growing. Keeping shoreline vegetation to a minimum and steep banks [2:1] also help keep YOY PS vulnerable and may help in your effort to curb their population.

I'd wait for some experts to chime in RE stocking numbers...there isn't an EXACT science to the qty - but I can say IMO 600 YP is far too many for your 1.3 acre pond.