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#515331 12/31/19 01:29 PM
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gapond Offline OP
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Hi all,

Here is my current plan for my 7 acre pond. It has just filled back up over the last 3 weeks and is currently empty of fish.

option 1 (this option tracks fairly close to UGA extension agency rec.)
6300 coppernose BG 1-2 in.
700 redear sunfish (shellcracker) 1-2 in.
70 triploid carp 3-5 in.
---To be stocked in the next few weeks and accompanied with an average feeding plan.

210 4-6 inch marked f1 bass in the early fall of 2020
5 or 10 thousand golden shiners

option 2 (reputable local pond stocking business rec.)

8500 coppernose bluegill 1-3 in.
1000 shellcracker 1-3 in
50 8-10 inch carp
--to be stocked in the next few weeks and accompanied by an aggressive feeding plan

210 4-6 in marked f1 bass in the early fall of 2020
10000 golden shiners

Here is what I am thinking. I will fish and keep some fish...but I'm thinking that option 2 might need me to fish like it was my job to keep the pond in balance (unfortunately not my job). Plus option 1 = less fish so less money and less food so less money (and easier to keep up with the year by year feeding)

Please share your thoughts/suggestions!

Thanks!

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Welcome to the forum. I think most here would tell you to also stock FHM with your first stocking.


Bob


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Hello and welcome, congrats on your new project!

I never advise clients to stock GC proactively - they can lead to turbidity issues and significantly effect the fishery negatively. Consider stocking GC reactively - if macrophytes become a management issue down the road. I strongly advise AGAINST stocking GC now.

Stock GSH/FHM at same time as your BG and RES - I don't think you need that QTY however if you want to save some $ and invest in habitat, feeding, etc. I agree with Bobbss to add some FHM. 1,000 FHM/AC and 500 GSH/AC would suffice provided you allow them to reproduce all next year and stock LMB in late Fall or even Summer of 21. If the GSH have suitable spawning habitat you'll have plenty of forage by Fall 20 - even more Summer 21.

You can money whip it with forage, but providing your fishery to mature naturally can save you a lot of $$ to invest elsewhere. That's my recommendation.

I don't manage SO fisheries so I'll ask others to respond to the BG/RES/LMB stocking qty - it's different for us up NO - but depending on goals I typically recommend 750-1000 BG/AC, 250 RES/AC, and 25-100 LMB/AC for NO fisheries. I think stocking strategy science is evolving lately per some recent forum posts which puts some of these more traditionally derived numbers in doubt.


Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after. ~ Henry David Thoreau

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Agree with not stocking Triploid Grass Carp until they are needed. Without any underwater weeds something will utilize nutrients, and typically that something is Filamentous Algae.

One thing that I think you should do is test the water for alkalinity and pH levels. If the alkalinity is too low (20 ppm is bare minimum but I like to use 40 ppm as a minimum to give pond owners a slight cushion) then you won't be able to get a phytoplankton bloom which will help the productivity of the pond, and help keep macrophytes from growing in deeper water. Ideally you want 18"-36" visibility before a secchi disc disappears.

As for the other fish stocking rates, it all depends on your goals for the fishery.


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3/4 to 1 1/4 ac pond LMB, SMB, PS, BG, RES, CC, YP, Bardello BG, (RBT & Blue Tilapia - seasonal).
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gapond Offline OP
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Thanks for the info! I plan to do the water test soon and lime if needed. My goal for the pond is to be able to fish with the kids and catch a mix of BG and LMB at rates that keep them engaged. I would like to catch the occasional big bass. I would like a population that makes the above possible but not so many fish that the management needs become to great. I plan to have a few feeders and will be willing to put out a thousand lbs or so of a high protein feed a yr. As far as time frame goes...I would rather do as suggested above and take my time...and spend saved money on feeders and feed.

Last edited by gapond; 01/01/20 12:30 AM.
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I think something that is many times overlooked is the age/size of initial forage species upon stocking, ie, FHM or GSH. When purchasing FHM from many sources they are 1500/lb, yet to be prolific spawners they need to be less than 600/lb., 350/lb would be best, same with GSH.
If the first 3-4 months is spent growing the forage individuals to a mature spawning age it can be deceiving as to what proliferation/production rate is.
There may be some argument to this but I think it's a good idea to have 1/3 of your initial stock mature when it comes to FHM and GSH.

Last edited by Snipe; 01/01/20 04:36 PM.
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Another thing about stocking FHM, is that you have to have habitat for them to reproduce. Yes, they will try to reproduce on about anything, but they do best where the female can lay her eggs on the underside of things and the male guards them until they hatch.

FHM only live 2-3 years, so that's another reason why you don't see them much past a few years after initial stocking - no habitat to reproduce in sufficient numbers to sustain a population. Once the stockers get eaten, that's all.

I like to stock in the 300-400 count/lb range that way they can get with the reproduction program asap. Golden Shiners reproduce in the Spring so if stocked at 3" long fish June/Nov they will reproduce the following spring, again if there is suitable habitat for them to utilize for reproduction.


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Snipe's input is valuable, too small and there's a lot of time lost to growth instead of reproduction, but I usually recommend stocking small/mediums to ensure you're skewed towards females - this would be around 1,000-1,200 [female FHM max is 2" - males can get up to 3.5"+]. But now that I consider his logic, I might want too increase the size a tad. My initial reasoning towards small/medium size for initial stocking is because large FHM can be very old males which may have a very limited lifespan - maybe weeks left. While one certainly needs males available for reproduction, I also find the larger ones more fragile and I see a lot of morts following a dense stocking - usually account for 90% mort vs smaller minnows. I think there's got to be a good middle ground between Kenny and my numbers. A lot of this depends on whether apex predators exist and how much time is allowed for achieving maturity and growth. If one needs immediate reproduction perhaps larger sizes are better, if one has time to spare one can benefit from smaller sizes and increase the qty of stocking exponentially.

Like Scott on GSH min size I stock is 3" also.


Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after. ~ Henry David Thoreau

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I need to add something here, TJ..
350-400/lb ave 1.25"
240-260/lb ave 1.5"
150-160/lb ave 2.375"
90-100/lb ave about 2.5" on FHM
1500/lb are the .5-1" size that I'm not sure would spawn much until late summer (limited production Y1) unless put in real early spring, but I do see your point on the larger, older FHM males. I do agree with esshup on the 300-400/lb number just because I don't think a guy will have an imbalanced sex ratio under 2" and you still get the numbers to fill in in a month or so.
I think we both are thinking along the same lines, yes, larger numbers with smaller fish but quicker eggs if possible.
Just think what a guy could get in a bag if FHM were purged for 5-7 days before running through a grader. If Plankton was good, this would be an ideal situation for both number and size shortly after stocking..

Last edited by Snipe; 01/02/20 02:53 AM.
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Lol....I’m using gallon not pound measurement - that’s why we are so far off. My bad. I agree with average size right around 2”. Will be all either young males or females that way - and that’s about 1200/gallon per my FHM supplier. Case solved!


Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after. ~ Henry David Thoreau

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That's something that I can't figure out. Why in some areas of the country the FHM are sold by the gallon, vs. by the pound in other areas of the country.

Personally I prefer the pound method because they aren't jammed into a container without water to get their volume. Net 'em, let water drain, put in a bucket with water to get weight, or have them pre-sorted and divided up in the tanks before the delivery run starts in the morning.

Even though FHM are pretty tough fish, the less stress you put the fish through during the transportation/stocking process, the less morts you have post stocking.


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The difference in units of measurement keep me guessing too.


Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after. ~ Henry David Thoreau

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