Evening guys, I've just completed my ~3/4 to ~ 1 acre sized pond. It is currently about 10-12' deep and will top out somewhere around 15' deep.

I would like to use the pond for recreational fishing and swimming so preferably no fish that want to attack me or the kids would be nice.

I'd like the pond to be as low maintenance as possible, and I think I would like to have bass and maybe some tilapia as temperatures allow.

I've read a decent amount from all you guys but putting it all together in a plan is a little more difficult. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

One person's attack is another's nibble.

Still, small bluegills will nip at idle swimmers. I don't find it a problem, but understand that some might not feel the same. If you're talking largemouth bass, well, bluegills are the backbone of their food chain. Are you considering the tilapia strictly for algae control, a food source, or both?

I've not found BG to be much of a problem with biting. That is swimming off a dock. Yes, if you are still in the water a while they will take a nip or two. Wear a shirt and avoid skinny dipping. It is mostly the smaller fish that seem to do it.

One potential problem with BG that I have not had but could be a problem is if you make a shallow, sandy beach type area for small children. I can see how adult BG would determine that it would also be a perfect substrate to create nests. A 10" male BG on a nest defending it might give a small child a nip that would discourage them from entering the water again. So I can see that as a potential problem.

I actually kind of think it is cool having the fish that close in contact with me. But the more squeamish might not appreciate it.

The tilapia addition thought was for algae control and for a supplemental food source for the bass and some for us.

My concern about the nipping fish is that I have a 2 and 4 year old that could be easily deterred from playing in the water at all if they get spooked by the fish. My brother in law has a 1/4 acre pond with what I believe is HBG and LMB and he nearly got "de-nippled" in his words while trying to take a swim. 😁

Are there any other good options that would take the nippers out of the equation. I am not dead set on the LMB if another food chain would work better.

Just looking for tasty fish and good swimming for kids and also something a little bit fun to catch.

nathad, I added just 5 lbs of tilapia In early April. That came to about 25 4 to 6" fish. I added lmb fingerlings in June. The tilapia are now everywhere in the 3.5 acre pond. Some look to be maybe 10 to 12" in size. they are very reproductive. learning from what I have seen @ my place, I would not add them with out predators like lmb. They will take over , especially if u plan on feeding.


Tracy

I really don't think Tilapia will survive the winter where I am located, but I would happily include the LMB to help control their population if needed.

I really prefer to have some type of predator fish, I just prefer not to have to stock with swimming pests if possible.

Again I am starting with zero fish and can go whichever direction my climate, habitat, time, and pocket book can support.

So what would you do if you wanted fun fishing and swimming with close to zero chance of getting nipped/nibbled/bit?

We have a fish truck in the area next week and if I can figure out the path forward I'd like to get started stocking assuming they have what we determine I need.

A lot easier to get the right stuff in than take the wrong stuff back out I figure.

How about pellet trained fish, like channel cat (cc) and / or hsb ( hybrid striped bass)? The need for potential nippers as forage would decrease if you pellet fed, you can put and take as you need or want. Although, if you release a cc after catching it, word is, you may never catch it again😮. Oh, you would need to hand feed daily or get a feeder if you went that route.

Cmm

Id like to avoid feeding as much as possible, but it's sounding like I either have to get fish that need to be fed or get fish that will feed on my swimmers.

Are either of the bream species less likely to bite?


Also, I had planned to stay away from cats at least initially to keep water as clear as possible.

I forgot to mention that the Tilapia will die off most likely in November @ my place. The pond is also heavily stocked with cnbg and res and I do get bitten every once in a while when swimming. but it is more of a shock when they bite, there is no pain at all. So I would not worry about it. I have kids swim in the pond with no problems at all. I just have to keep an eye out for any gators that might someday might show up

Tracy

Of course, if trespassers like to swim at night at your place, gators might be a plus.

I don't recall ever being bitten by a RES, at least not that I'm aware of. But, they will likely not provide enough forage on their own for a population of hungry LMB. I wonder if the combination of RES and Tilapia would enable year-round support of the LMB? One forage during the warmer months, another for the colder periods.

If you're willing to feed, you might try RES and HSB together. If the RES get carried away, you could add a few single sex LMB to thin them out.

What about minnows and smallmouth? Smallmouth forage very well on smaller items. I haven't ever heard of problems with smallmouth and swimmers. Smallmouth do great in colder temps, work well with just a minnow base.

opinions?

Would you have to constantly add more minnows in that setup?

No, they are talking about buying pounds, not dozens of minnows. Many of us stock fathead minnows quite a while prior to the stocking of predators. This gives them time to reproduce and creates a food base for small fish when they are stocked.

Will fatheads really persist enough even if allowed to establish first once predators are introduced? I got the impression they are pretty slow moving and kind of swimming meals for larger fish.

I am no pond expert like many here, but I can tell you of my pond. I added 90 lbs of FHM's starting back in November and another 30 lbs in February. I had no lmb just CNBG and RES. The FHM's spawned many times to where there were thousands of them in the pond. I stocked CBLMB 2" fingerlings the first week of June and today will see maybe a couple of hundred at the feeders. Out of thousands to 200, that's a lot of missing fat heads. The growing rate on the CBLMB (provided by Overton's fishery) is said to be maybe 3 lbs+ per yr providing the proper food is available to them. I think I might have some in the pond this winter but they will be gone by any new lmb fry next spring.