Considering a stocked pond. Have Questions!!!

I recently purchased a property in Central MN and it has a pond on it. I am just starting to look into the idea of stocking it with some bluegills etc strictly for the kids entertainment.........ok and Dads!!! My question is very simple. The pond is 1.86 acres, and is around 5ft deep. Is this a deep enough pond in my region to even entertain this idea? I am willing to do leg work such as aeration etc, but just curious if this is a canidate to even hold fish through the winter or not? Would love to hear thoughts, and if possible to hold fish what you would stock etc...........thank in advance

Newbie

Pretty shallow in my opinion. Any fish in it now?

There is a bunch of 2-3" minnows from what I can tell just walking around it.

I would feel better if the pond had a history of carrying fish through the winters, and not just minnows mind you, but larger fish as well. It sounds to me like it may be prone to winterkill. I think you need more depth.

I would fish it and see what you have, if anything larger than those minnows. You might also talk to the previous owner, or maybe some neighbors to see if they can shed any light on whether or not it has carried fish over, or kills off during the cold months.

Be a shame to stock it only to lose the fish the first winter.

Seems shallow. Is it spring fed or runoff fed? Any knowledge of how it retains water during hot dry Summer?

With respect to over wintering - what is the frost line for that area?

http://www.mrr.dot.state.mn.us/research/seasonal_load_limits/thawindex/frost_thaw_graphs.asp

You may need to excavate deeper?

Would aeration cure the threat of winterkill? I am sure there is not larger fish in there right now. It is a new pond that was dug as a retention pond for a new housing development. So I am sure it has never been stocked etc........Thanks for all your input!!!

Send mnfish a PM (private message). He's in Minnesota, and has experience with shallow ponds like that.

With aeration, you can have fish survive the winter. Yellow Perch, Pumpkinseeds, etc.

Oh, welcome to the forum!!