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

Fish of 6"-8" will consume a lot more (at least twice) DO and produce more ammonia compared to 4" fish. It is a biomass - respiration thing. I would worry about coolers in back of the truck heating up too much in this June heat. I would prefer to not have ice on the bottom of the bags but on top. Cool air tends to sink. Ice on top will also cool the air inside the cooler and reduce heat build up. Ice on top is easy to see when it is melted and needs more ice. Too much ice can be as bad as too little ice. Hauling fish in heat is an art and science and dangerous/risky. If you have an air thermometer in the cooler on the bag or beside a bag it will indicate the water temp pretty close. Problem with adding ice to the water is too rapid of a temp change which is not good for the fish. I've hauled lots of fish in lower numbers in bags w/ pure oxygen. They freight ship them for 24 hr trips that way all the time. Problem now with that is the heat. Another option for conservative plan is fewer fish per bag 12-18 with ice on top. Be prepared that they have larger smallies 5"-6" which require fewer per container. Even if the hatchery guarantees live arrival - talk is cheap. The problem is not the cost of the fish but the time and travel involved to get them as you are now realizing.

Keep up the good efforts removing PS. As you trap more you may see some small YP. Each small bass can easily eat 250-400 small fish per yr depening on the size of the bass and prey. This will give you an idea of how many to remove for each bass or other predator that is missing.