Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Corrective stocking New pond near Sulphur Springs

My in-laws built a pond just over 2 acres last year. An existing 0.33 acre pond feeds into the 2 acre pond when it overflows to help fill the pond. The existing pond has bass and bluegill in it.

I have been fishing the smaller pond and putting any bluegill caught from minnow traps and hook & line into the new 2 acre pond, which is probably around 30-40 5" BG and 10-20 2" BG.

A few weeks ago I walked the new pond and saw a lot of bass along the shoreline and decided to see what would happen. I have caught around 45 bass from 6" or less to 16" in the past two visits.

We were planning on stocking BG this fall but now I'm not sure.
Should we stock BG this fall with the bass still in there? If so what size BG?
I would really appreciate any advice as to what we should do.

Dump in the BG and raise some scaly hogs. If you're catchin 16"ers they have a good start.

Welcome to PBF Buckww!

If I have it right, you're saying the LMB migrated into you new pond from your original pond. If that is the case, I suspect BG did as well. Have you tried fishing for BG in your new pond? I am with Bob. I see no harm is stocking BG, as big as you can catch, from the original pond into the new one. Do you have habitat established yet in the new pond to protect small BG?

Again, welcome!

Bill D.

Ya, I think the bass must have come into the pond during the record rainfall back in May here in Texas. There are definitely BG in there because I have caught them in there and also released them in the pond. I also saw 10-20 spawning beds along the bank.

The current habitat includes to large bodark trees sunk into two different 18' trenches, and another bodark at a different part of the pond.

Do I need more habitat than this?

What size and how many BG should be stocked if we were to purchase more?

IMHO It depends...My go forward plan would depend on what is your goal for the pond? Big BG, big LMB or ....?

The plan for the pond is to have big LMB.

Then the more BG and the fewer LMB, the better.

Welcome to the forum. I have a few friends around Sulfur Springs (both on and off the forum) that have ponds and property there.

To grow large bass, keep the total amount of LMB number between 100 and 150 fish (of all sizes) in the 2 ac pond, and have 20-30 BG in there for each LMB.

If you don't want the stocker fish to be eaten right away, stock BG that are at least 1/3 the length of the largest LMB in the pond.

You might want to fin clip or use numbered floy tags on the LMB that you return to the pond. That way you can keep track of the amount of LMB in the pond. (and keep track of how they are growing)

Thanks for all the help, I really appreciate it!!

I was thinking of making the 1/3 acre pond a BG to help supplement the 2 acre pond. Thoughts on this?

Is there a specific habitat that works best for smaller BG? There are currently 3 large bodarks (osage orange) in the pond, would this work for the smaller BG cover?

Here are a couple photos of the 2 acre pond before it filled completely. One is from the dam side and the other is from where the small pond feeds in when overflowing.

In the 1/3 ac pond for BG forage, make it look like a paint roller tray. Seine out the BG for the big pond.

Typically in a pond you'd want 20% of the surface acreage in cover for the fish. It will concentrate forage fish and help keep the LMB from running around all over the place looking for forage.

There is a great thread in the archives on structure. It has a lot of information in it.
http://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=92463#Post92463