Does it hurt when stocking a pond here in IN to stock FHM, GSH, and TGC at the same time? How long should you wait after putting them in before you add the BG/RES? I also would like to stock rock bass (RKB) in the pond but I do not know if they will be able to successfully spawn and maintain since the pond has a dirt bottom. Can RKB be sticked with the BG/RES? Should I also put Crappie in at the same time as the sunfish or should I wait on those and stock them when the LMB get stocked and is there a preference for WCP or BCP? I am looking for a pond that can provide sunfish/crappies to eat and LMB for fun but catch and release. Finally, I noticed one thread said to stock a few HSB to keep the crappie and BG population under some control. is that an option when the LMB go in?

Welcome to the club thumper! It seems like you could go several different directions with your stocking plans, but I would bet that the experts that hang out around here are going to want to know a few things regarding your plans...

How big is your pond?

How deep?

Does it have any fish in it currently?

Just a few questions for you to help get things started.

And, typically you want to give your minnows enough time to reproduce before adding the game fish, AND you will need to make sure you have the proper environment, structure, and cover that the minnow types need to spawn. I gave my FHM's one year to do their thing and they reproduced like crazy. Stocking the game fish at the end of the summer could also work, but I chose to wait until the following spring as fish don't grow much in the winter. Get your minnows in now.

Thanks,

The pond is about 6 acres. Standard interstate highway dirt strip pond. 10-12 feet deep with a pretty flat bottom. Yes there are fish in it now. Currently overrun with 8-10 inch LMB. Some BG/RES/GSF and WCP, but not a lot of them. Almost no minnows or small sunfish in pond. Bass eat everything that moves. Probably need to drain down the pond and scrape out the cattails that totally surround it. The cattails extend 6-10 feet out from shore all the way around. Have to fish from a boat and push through to clear water in the middle. Not even sure the fish can successfully spawn right now with the lack of bank. Water is really murky so spawning in middle of pond probably would not be successful (just guessing).