Pond Boss Forums STOCKING A NEW POND Types of fish to choose Restarting a 1+ acre pond

Hey guys,

Looking for some help on best way to proceed with stocking a pond.

We dug a just-barely-over-an-acre pond about 5 years ago that is about 12-14' deep. Last spring after some terrific rain we did a mix of 150 hybrid crappie, 80 LMB, 700 CNBG and 200 CC. These were 6-8" for LMB and CC and 3-4" for rest. Goal was a nice pond to introduce the kids to fishing and give me so enjoyment catching a few of decent size.

Enter the drought and a well guy who failed to show to put a feeder well in during the summer.

SO, after much cursing and yelling and the pond drying to 2' of water and the herons pulling most of the fish out of the pond we just got a well put in about 2 weeks ago. Now refill is ongoing. Its well water, so PH is high (9+), aerators will go in soon to help add CO2 & O2. Water is brown from the sediment running from the well pipe to where the water is, but it seems to be settling out per the samples I have taken. Alkalinity testing will be done next week, but Liming isnt an option with the current PH level.

I know the first answer to my questions will be that I should do a fish kill and restart, but from what I have seen from feeding and a really lame attempt at seining, there is not much there. So lets skip this, if possible, and look at the other options.

Immediate goals: I have a 4yo & 7yo who have been practicing their casting to fish 'their very own pond!' I could take them elsewhere (and have) but they really want to fish 'their' pond.

Long term goals: I want a pond with some fun fishing--LMB that arent too small (3+ lbs) so I can lure my "retired-Bengal Bass Buster" father over from Louisiana to catch a few with his grandkids, plus I love fighting a good bass. But I also enjoy CNBG fishing and frying up a cat or 2 for dinner every few weeks.

Here are my general assumptions:
1. At my fill rate it will take about 8-10 more weeks to fill the pond with no significant rain.
2. mud/dirt should start settling in 4-6 weeks once the water level rises over the fill pipe.
3. Aeration will help get the PH down from 9+ in 4-6 weeks as well.

So what should I do for a restocking plan (assuming the earliest restock date would be mid-late April in North Texas)?

I could go with an adult restock of 700 CNBG, 200 RS, 200 CC, 60-70 LMB and 15-25 lbs GS.

I could stock just the CC and FHM figuring to fish the cats for now with the kids and built a forage pond to add CNBG then LMB over the years. (This may be difficult due to lack of family patience).

I could go with a heavy CNBG stock plan (1000-2000) with some CC and figure to add the LMB next year at a 6-8" size.

Or you all could give me better ideas.

I am looking to balance the desire to hook a ton now with my 30-40 year goal of fishing my own pond for total enjoyment.

To add on to my questions, if I am looking at a late april/early may stocking time in North Texas, am I too late and should I just wait till fall?

Thanks for the help and thoughts,
John

I'm kinda old school on stocking. I believe in stocking FHM, BG, RES and CC now. When a LMB can go to sleep with his mouth open and wake up with a full belly, it's time to stock bass. That's about a year out. By the time you stock bass, the CC will be big enough to catch and have fun.

I'd go with 2,000 BG/RES, 5 pounds of FHM and 50 CC. Next year, add bass.

Where in North Texas? Lots of difference in Amarillo and Gainesville.

BTW, great sig line but you missed dynamite.

I'm with Dave. Drop the numbers of CC, increase the numbers of BG/CNBG/RES and add FHM/GSH. Be aware that when CC get larger than 3# they start eating fish, so they will be a predator in the pond along with the LMB. Also, at least up here, if a CC is caught and released, it's VERY hard to catch them again. I've caught, tagged and released CC in my pond, and have never caught them again. Some were caught in 2009. I can see them swimming around under the feeder (can see the tag), but they want no part of a hook.

Rule of thumb when stocking. Make sure any forage fish that are stocked are large enough to avoid getting eaten by the predators, or know that you could be stocking expensive dinner for the predators.

It's hard, but wait until you can walk across the pond on the backs of the forage fish before stocking the LMB. If you can feed the fish, (even the forage fish) they'll grow quicker.

Consider Hybrid stripers instead of catfish and bass. Catfish can become a problem and bass always over spawn. Next, they tend to overeat the forage fish. They will whip bass any day. If you do them you can cut back on the BG numbers.

Im outside Sanger, Texas. North of Fort Worth and Dallas by about an hour and about 30 mins south of Gainesville.

I am trying to get everyone here (myself included) to dial back fishing expectations for this year. I am figuring that I should go back to a forage pond and look to add bass next year and let them grow from there. I think I have the 7 yo on my side since I told him he gets to help with the biggest science experiment ever with pond maintenance (if I can sell him on lawn care too, I am set).

I have a feeder and will continue using it. I also intend to fertilize as needed (going lighter due to the feeding).

I had not considered the idea of going with hybrid stripers (man add just one extra letter and the wife starts in with 'aha! Now I know what you fishermen are REALLY talking about on line!) For some reason I just had in my mind that they were really for much larger bodies of water (5+ acres). Im going to let that one spin in my head a bit. That may be an idea. Any harm to doing hybrid stripers and CC? I have a hard time considering owning a body of water that doesnt have a cat to pull out and fry, must be my south Louisiana roots showing.

Esshup, good info on the CC and catch and release. I hadnt realized that. I wonder if you can catch the reluctant ones by floating a fly out with the feed. Of course, that may scare them from the feed too.

Thanks for pushing me back where I should have been in the first place.

Also, I know about Todd's place down in Buffalo as the 'go-to' fish supplier. But with delivery costs what they are, its hard to get myself to where I can pull the trigger. Anyone have any experience with Pondking out of Gainesville? Just trying to figure my stocking options.

Thanks again,
John

The only way that I've been able to catch some of the smart CC was to get them used to feeding on AquaMax Largemouth pellets. I'd put one on a 1/0 Owner light wire hook (you can work the hook thru one if you are careful) and cast it into the pond with 6# or 8# flurocarbon line. Then immediately throw out a handful of Purina AquaMax Largemouth pellets around it. Just let it sit out there, DON'T move it. If it sinks, let it. You probably could catch one per feeding, I've never caught more than 2 in a day (morning and afternoon feeding). No bobber, no weight and don't move it. If you do, they'll scatter and won't come back up.

If you throw out the food, then throw out the pellet with the hook a minute later, the CC will ignore ALL the pellets.

I haven't tried a Chubby Stubby (Stubby Steves lures), but that's on the docket for this year.

Think twice about the fertilizer. If your pond is already fertile you just might get a fish kill. Sanger is oak country and that generally means that our ponds are naturally fertile.

My experience with fertilizer was a tragedy. I fertilized about 12 to 15 years ago. I had a fish explosion. The pond had wall to wall big fish and loads of forage. Neighbors came by and everyone was amazed. So, they also fertilized.

Then, we had a couple of no wind and no sun days. My larger fish died due to an oxygen crash. So did the neighbors. I wasn't exactly popular and had to go back to buying my own beer.

Approach any and all chemicals with extreme caution.

"Any harm to doing hybrid stripers and CC?"
Nope - just limit the numbers of CC..

You used the magic "FLY" word...
You NEED Hybrid Stripers...they will put you into the backing in a heartbeat and make the hair stand up on the back of your neck ...

Alright. I think I am generally sold on the HSB.

So with that as the top end fish. What stocking plan would you want to aim for? 800-900 CNBG, 100-200 RES, 30-40 CC and 5-10 lbs FHM/GS? Then figure to add 50-75 pellet trained HSB late next spring?

Also, should those stocking numbers adjust if I stock 4-6" CNBG & RES?

Also, once the HSB are established any harm in adding some RBT during the winter for a little variety?

That would be very considerate of you. The HSB crowd like the idea of some fat trout meat.

With the action you'll get out of the HSB's, I wouldn't mess with the cats. Those guys get really hook shy. I've been trying to catch the last 4 that I stocked 12 years ago.

BTW, have you had any rain?

Rain? Whats that?

We got just under 2 inches early in the month from a couple storm bands. But we are still short by over an inch for the month and were short an inch last month and I think the month before...

In fairness ground is softer than it has been and the holes have closed up some, so its been better than it was in the fall and early winter.

I would try to address to water problem first.

Already got that on tap. Getting some Alum to handle the mud and hopefully affect the PH some too. Once I see the result from the treatment, on to fish stocking...

We have the same problem here in NY. I built a pond last may-june and My area is only receiving 1/10th"of rain at a time
Been considering a well.
can you tell me a bit about your well
How deep?
What kind of pump?
How much water is the well producing?
What was the cost?

Well depth depends on your water table. For us it was just about 400'.

We upgraded the pump as we want it to be able to do an open 2" pipe flow to the pond while also having enough pressure to handle the sprinkler system (best way I was able to convince the wife that it would "save" us money--just dont do any replacement cost time measures...)I will have to look at what we got on the increased pump size. We were in tax paying mode and I am not sure where the invoices have been buried.

Well is producing approx 22 gpm based on a 5 gallon bucket test and measurement of water increase at the pond site.

Cost was about 13K but I think that included running 800' of pipe to the pond and attaching it into the sprinkler system (I would have to confirm that if it matters)

Things of note: Well water has no DO of consequence, so do something on the delivery side to cause it to add oxygen or make sure you have aeration. Your mineral content will be added to your pond, so watch what you have in the area and talk to your well operator to get a firm idea of what to expect.

Mine has a very high alkalinity (ok with this) but my PH is hovering at 9, so I am having to Alum it to drop it. Hopefully this will work ok since the water pumping is also causing turbidity due to sediment not settling out. I will let you know how that goes....

Here is a link to where I stand after the Alum treatment.

http://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Main=26238&Number=335760#Post335760