Hey I'm new here and been reading a lot. I was wondering if a 7/10 or 8/10 pond can be large enough for holding blueGill largemouth and HSB. What are your opinions? I won't be starting On this project till we finish building our house so it will be around spring of 2015. Just trying to think everything through.

I assume you're talking 7/10 of an acre?

There are alot of people, including the Mississippi DWF, who think it is too small and would suggest a CC pond only. My pond is in southern Miss. and I read the extension service publication prior to building/stocking my pond. The link to the publication is http://msucares.com/wildfish/fisheries/farmpond/management/ in case you are interested.

My pond is 1 acre and it was originally stocked starting 7 years ago w/ BG, CC, and shortly after, the LMB. Earlier this year, I put in 19 HSB so my pond is similar to yours except I likely have some CC left over. I regret the CC and repeatedly suggest not to include those as they become fisheaters and make it more difficult to control balance.

IMO, you can achieve such a balance in your pond with your fish combination but it is more difficult to both assess and accomplish a balance than a larger pond. It takes more concentrated efforts on promoting certain fish and retarding others. In my case, it was too may LMB causing overpopulation and stunted growth and very limited BG population levels as they were decimated by the overabundance of LMB. I started feeding the BG a few years ago(which the HSB also appreciate) and started to ensure I caught 10 lbs of LMB a year. This has improved the LMB growth somewhat but more work is needed.

Hopefully, you will get some other more knowledgable people to join in with other opinions.

Just depends on what your goals are... Many state fish management agencies recommend against a typical BG LMB stocking because of the challenges involved in producing a quality fishery with those species in a smaller pond. With the right management and stocking numbers it can be done though.

Well I can probably make it 1 acre. Would that make any difference. I just want a fun place to fish for my wife and I.

Make your new pond as large as you can.

If you will be supplementally feeding the fish pelleted fish food, I'd look into stocking HBG, RES and HSB. Along with FHM and GSH for forage fish. That fishery would be a lot easier to manage. Just keep track of what fish you remove (HSB & HBG) and replace them yearly.

OK. So regular BG and LMB would overtake a one acres pond in several years.

What are yalls idea On this layout. That is where the house will go. We will get the house done first and then string off the layout of the pond. This pond will be right at 1 acres. We have blue clay here I am in the Delta region of MS. I am wanting to build it myself. This is On a total of 2 acres.

Opinions please.

Eaton,
I was stating that LMB will overtake the pond in a few years if not fished and culled properly.

As for your pond design, I think it looks good especially if you put some fish attractors in the area where it can be reached from your weir and pier.

A one acre pond, your house and a barn/shop on two acres of ground will be very tight. I don't know about MS, but some places in MI you can only have 10% of your property acreage in water.

Where are you going to put the dirt that you excavate? If the avg depth of your pond is 7-10', that means you are going to raise the rest of your property 7-10'. If you haul it off-site, it will be very expensive unless there is a market to sell it.

Yea it may be to tight and would have to make it smaller but I just playing with sizes and ideas. It fun drawing Wat your you want Wop property to Lol like. But Yea it sounds like the easiest fishery it what esshu has stated with HSB HBG RES . What would be the easiest what to dig the pond. I have access to tractors and a dirt bucket. I would have to rent a bulldozer or and excavator.

As far as the dirt coming out I would build a berm around to pond and make a levee on the back drainage ditch. The rest my father in law can use it on the farm.

Eaton,

I'm in the process of excavating a one acre pond right now. We are within two crew days from having the main hole dug and then will start finishing the area around the pond. It is really something that would take forever by yourself.

Check out my build thread to give you an idea of what the process entails.

http://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=341704#Post341704

eaton,

I have a 1 acre pond and I have BG, HSB, RES, and LMB. It can be done with a 1 acre pond. If you live right there you can really manage it a lot better. I don't live at my pond right now and I am still able to do it decent. The key is watching your R.W. on your bass.

For example if you catch say 2 or 3 bass one day and you measure and weigh those bass and they are all under 90 to 100 percent R.W. then you need to take a couple of bass out. Which will then give your other bass more food to get larger. Putting fish in a pond is easy. Managing said pond after that is where the fun begins!!

Good Luck with your place it looks great!!

RC

Thanks. The pond will most likely be around 8/10 of an acre. I should be able to manage it Well living right by it. So we will see. I'll keep reading and learning.

It looks like a nice plan. Just curious. Do you have water and sewer service or will you have to install a well and septic tank/drain field system?
.

I do have water service I know but I believe I have to put a septic tank in the ground.

If you have a septic system, that needs to be 150' or so away from the pond or it could bleed into the pond water.

OK thanks for the info.