Just stocked my new pond that is just about 1 acre in size. I had stocked 5# of fathead minnows a few weeks ahead of the full stocking just to get a little something in there. My main stocking was as follows:

-300 bluegill @ 2-3"
-50 hybrid blugill @ 4-5"
-50 redear sunfish @ 3-4"
-75 catfish @ 8-10"
-5# golden shiners
-10# fathead minnows

Pond has had water in it since first of September and is about 3/4 full. When full the deepest point will be around 17' deep with good Missouri clay. I built myself from scratch and have tons of rock piles and brush structure placed all over. Since I stocked, I have been out every night throwing some fish pellets out trying to see some sort of activity. I guess I was expecting to see some of the bluegill or minnows swimming around the shallow areas but so far about 1-1/2 weeks after stocking I never see any fish. I seen one swimming around the top the other day when working around the perimeter, but when I throw feed out I do not see hardly action. Last night I seen what I believe may have been some bluegill coming to surface to get pellets but was getting dark. I guess what I'm asking is should I be worried that I do not see anything moving around the shallows at all (including minnows?) After stocking all the above fish, I've only seen two dead fish against the banks a couple days after stocking. Otherwise, no floaters... Any feedback would be appreciated!!

Welcome to the forum! Grab a chair and sit quietly for a few minutes....your fish see you long before you see them!

Welcome to the forum. What are the fishing goals for the pond?

When you feed them, you need to feed them at the same time in the same place every time. Don't skip any days so you make it a routine that the fish get used to. It would be beneficial to build a feeding ring that floats and throw the feed in it so that the feed doesn't float away and stays put. At first a lot of the food will go uneaten and sink, but they will eventually find it, especially the CC. Just don't throw out to much feed at a time until they find it.

I guess I really have a few equal fishing goals with the pond. First of all, I'm a big bass fisherman, but do not get to go enough to cure the itch! Actually I have not been able to fish much at all since I started building my house 2 years ago along with all the property work with it (including this pond!). Luckily the boring stuff like the house is done and I've been concentrating on the pond now! Although I would love to have huge bass in there, I just like to fish and catch quantity. The other "equal" main goal would be for my two little girls to be able to easily catch fish. I always wanted a pond growing up and want a place where they can fish and enjoy the outdoors like I do. We all love to eat fish and will harvest fish from the pond to keep the population in check, but mainly just love to fish.

As far as feeding goes, I believe I will look into a feeder so I can know I'm feeding on a consistent basis. I'm a bit on the fence about feeding as part of me feels they can be just fine living off the natural food chain. I see things posted about fish completely relying on the feeding so really I'm a bit unsure of it all. In a perfect world I would provide supplemental food for the fish (on a consistent basis though) while they still are feeding like mother nature intended.

Unless the fish are in a sterile environment like a RAS or raceway system, or high density fish farm pond, they won't only feed on pellets, they will still be eating fish, bugs and whatnot in the pond.

I'm by no means an expert, but I had the same concerns when I stocked BG, RES, and FH in my 1.5 acre pond. Is rocked in the fall and didn't see the first sign of a fish until the following spring when minnows were spawning. I still didn't see any BG until I had my first spawn. I can catch them easy, they are just in deeper water around structure. I wouldn't worry. Have fun!

My channel catfish have just begun actively consuming pellets in the last week or so, and I am about 300 miles southwest of you. When your water hits about 60 degrees, the fish should actively take pellets, as they were pellet trained at the hatchery.