Steve,
Chara (aka Muskgrass) is beneficial for Golden Shiner spawning habitat, plus it really helps clear the water. However, it can grow to "weed" proportions in some situations and should only be planted if you are willing to maintain it.
I agree that spike rush, bulrush and eel grass (aka water celery) would be good plants. I'd also consider Arrowhead, Pickerel Weed, Soft Rush, Sweetflag and Blue Flag Iris for a little diversity. Pickerel Weed comes with many of the warnings that Bill gave you about Bulrush, but the others grow in very shallow water and shorelines. They realy help stabilize your banks, which prevents erosion into the pond.
Water Lilies would be beneficial for the fathead minnows because they like to spawn on the underside of objects. However, I'm not sure how well water lilies would do in a gravel pit...probably ok. Does anyone have experience with that? Not too many gravel pit ponds around here.
Some people even put plywood and/or cardboard in the water for the fatheads to spawn on. Please note that cardboard can make a mess, so I wouldn't use that, and plywood will degrade, so it is a temporary spawning medium. Also, if there is no protection around the lilies or plywood, predator fish can simply pick off the minnows as they spawn or hatch. Therefore, it is best to incorporate these methods into the middle of other cover, such as hardwood brush or vegetation.
One final note on your timing...Fatheads won't spawn in the winter, so there is very little benefit stocking them in the fall, and the perch in the spring. If possible, I'd try to get some water into the pond earlier and stock minnows during the summer of 2003. Quite often fatheads are in rough shape during the summer heat, so we stock a "Farm Raised" type from Arkansas during the hottest months. Some people call them Tuffies. If you want some and can't find them in your area, email me and I'll line you up with a bait wholesaler in your area that offers them.
