If you're in southern Ontario, you need a pond that is at least 10'-12' deep over 1/4 of the surface area. If you aren't going to aerate it, I would try for at least 18' deep. Without this, as others have mentioned you will face severe winter kills. Ontario ponds face months straight of ice cover and fish need deep water areas to take refuge in during the extended ice covered times. Here in VA I can get away with 5' depths, but not in the frozen north.
Redear sunfish(RES) are a great sunfish species, but with you being in Canada, you're most likely a hair bit too far north for them to survive. In the east, the cutoff line for RES appear to be around the middle of Pennsylvania. Anywhere farther north and you are relegated to other species that are more adapted to colder waters that freeze over for extended periods of time.
In a 3 acre pond, you have some room to play around as there is much more biomass space to fill than say the typical 0.5-1 acre pond. Sounds like from wanting to stock crappies and yellow perch(YP) for your kids to fish for, that is what you're looking for... A nice place to take your kids fishing where their catch rates will be high. If that is the case, YP are a good option. Do a search here on the forum for the up and DOWN sides of stocking crappies in smaller ponds. Others here have already covered the major points, but there is lots of other info in the archives. Since RES are not an option pumpkinseed sunfish(PS) are. They are very closely related and although not the exact same, they are similar particularly in the ability to eat hard things like snails and small clams. Plus, if managed correctly PS can grow to 8"-10" in size and make a great panfish for kid fishing and eating. Smallmouth bass(SMB) are also an option as you really need to have a higher end predator to help manage the smaller panfish. Otherwise they over reproduce and stunt. Smallmouth bass do well in northern ponds. If you can place some rocky areas in your pond, they should spawn well and self reproduce. Again, do a forum search on them and you will find a plethora of information on them.
A pond with YP, PS and SMB as the main fishing species is certainly a viable option IMO. Add fathead minnow(FHM) and golden shiners(GSH) as additional forage and you'll be off to a great start. Later you can consider adding fingerling walleye annually or every other year to add a bonus fish to the fishery. They will not reproduce on their own, but adding 30-50 fish each or every other year can add a little something to the fishery.
Welcome to Pond Boss!
Last edited by CJBS2003; 06/24/10 01:55 PM.
