Pond Boss Forums STOCKING A NEW POND Types of fish to choose Stocking 2 Wisconsin ponds

Ok so I have a pond that is approx. 1 acre in size and has been stocked with Fathead minnows this spring. I recently built a second large pond that is 5+ acres. This 5 plus acre pond I plan to stock pumpkinseeds and small mouth bass along with some walleye and perch. This is based off of an article Bob penned in a past PB issue for stocking a northern pond. This one is about 16 feet deep at the dam and carries the depth out to 10-12 feet throughout at least 4 acres. My main question is that I had planned on stocking the small pond with largemouth and bluegills. At this point,the small pond has a screen on it's outlet so that fish cannot in theory get out of that pond and we just had a 100 year flood due to the large amount of rain we had and that small pond did not overflow it's banks. This small pond at this time does flow into the larger pond and I don't want largemouth or bluegills in that smallmouth pond. My main question is do I need to be concerned that largemouth and bluegill eggs could flow through the small pond into the large one and if so could they hatch? My other option is to trench the overflow from the small pond to a drybed creek and away from the large pond?
Todd

Congratulations! It sounds like you have a fabulous blank slate with both a 1acre and 5acre pond with many opportunities to study separate stocking strategies.

You mentioned in your past posts that you had a hard time sourcing PS and SMB, where will you be able to source pumpkinseed? Will the fish be pellet trained?

How about forage for the new pond, will that come by seining the 1 acre and loading up the 5 acre? You may want some lead time on getting the forage going depending on stocking density and sizes of the other fish. It would be so awesome to have a self sustaining SMB and Walleye population with pumpkinseed and YP as the middle of the pond forage ladder and then letting all kinds of lower types of forage see how they do (crayfish, scuds, FHM, etc)

Since you only have a blank slate once, I would advise to not trust any screen to keep unwanted fish out. Fish commonly go overland during high water events, and the next high water event may be worse than the recent one. I would definitely build a big enough spillway so that any and ALL water that might want to go over the banks of the small pond cannot go in the direction of the big pond.

You mentioned that RES are illegal in WI. Seriously? Why would that be the case especially if 'they' are telling you that RES won't overwinter in SW WI? (by the way that is not necessarily true since RES have been overwintering lakes north of you and I (SW MI).

Post pictures, we would love to share in your good news!

A screen will not keep LMB and Bluegill out of the lower pond. Trench it away if at all possible.

Thank You all for the quick response. I was able to find some PS from a hatchery in Northern Illinois. This is also the hatchery that said RES are illegal to stock in Wi. I do not know if they will be pellet trained. I plant to stock the PS in my acre pond then sein them out next year and transfer them to the large pond once I get FH minnows established in the large pond (summer of 2019). The large pond needs to be drained as I have a leak and need to address that.
In regards to the pond leak, I would like to address that also in the forum. Being pretty new to this could either suggest where I should post those questions AND also how to I post pictures?
thanks in advance,
Todd

You can attach right from your PC (but not your phone) here is an example.

Click on Switch to Full Reply Screen first which is under this text box that you would be typing a quick reply in.

Click on File Manager below.

Click Browse then select file from PC then click open and then click add file or files are added click done adding files. Remember though you can only post up to a 2 meg file size.

Recently there was good instructions in a post on how to attach a file and then embed the picture right into your post but that isn't necessary, attaching it is simple and we can download the pictures from your post.

How will you transport the PS from Illinois? Good idea to spend a year or more building forage before stocking the predators

Feel free to pick a category on the forum main page and then start a new thread about your leak. We would love to hear about it and try to help you.

I HAD a leaking pond once too.

ignore/duplicate

BG and LMB will almost certainly infiltrate the cool water species fishery and impact it negatively - likely rendering it a second LMB/BG fishery. LMB will outcompete the SMB, and BG are difficult to manage in a small gape predator fishery [YP, SMB, WE].

RES are likely beyond their Northern boundary for survival during Winter...so no worries on the PS substitute or legality of RES. Mute point.

I suggest you dedicate the small pond as a forage pond and raise Bluntnose Minnows, Spotfin Shiners, Lake Chubsuckers, grass shrimp, etc. and drop the pond level and seine annually/biannually enabling you to become self sufficient. Your scenario is perfect to raise WE up to 28", SMB to 20+", YP to 14"+...I'm doing that in a BOW half your size. You could also stock 2-3 TM/acre as a tackle busting bonus...will help keep the PS populations managed.

Call me sometime I'll walk you through what I do with my clients.