Pond Boss Forums STOCKING A NEW POND Types of fish to choose questions on new pond stocking

We had a pond built in June, which is 1 1/2 acre and runs from 6 feet to 20 feet deep, it is now about 3/4 full.
I have a few questions i hope someone can help me with.
1.When can i start stocking?
2.Can a person just put the fish in that they want to fish for,for instance,largemouth,bluegill, and crappie?I know from reading on here that people say not to put crappie in,but i really like to eat them. Why does a person need to put catfish in if they dont fish for them?
3.I have been checking into the Dept. of Conservation fish stocking program,any pros or cons on this? I know if i go this way i will have to wait till next year to start stocking and they say that you have to put in every type of fish they give you including catfish.
4.I am going to be putting in a vertex air 1 system, where would be the cheapest place to get this?
I guess you can tell from my questions that i dont know diddly on this subject.
Thanks Guys

Bubba, You can start stocking after you do a water quality test on PH and alkilinity. Alkilinity comes from your soil and takes a little while to affect your water. It should be ready to test now.

You can put the crappie in. Heck, its your pond. Just understand the penalties of having to start over in a couple of years and having a minimal bluegill forage base. I love crappie too but wouldn't stock them.

Dealing with the local DNR is a personal and financial choice. I would talk to them and find out about their stocking "recipe" and whether there was any wiggle room on the catfish. Check into prices and availability of stocker fish now and make your decision.

I'll leave aeration to others.

Bubba,
I stocked my 2 acre lake with fish from the MDC. If you have good soil fertility, then they typically provide 500 bluegill, 100 bass and 100 channel cat per acre. The fish are very small, 1"-2", but they are free. There is a bunch of great pond info on the MDC homepage.
You are a little late to apply to get the fish this year. If you apply now, I think they will make you wait until next fall to give you the bluegill and catfish. Then they make you wait until the following spring, 2006 to add the bass.
You should buy about 10 lbs of fathead minnows asap to establish a forage base.
I think all the experts would tell you to be patient and let your forage base, (minnows and bluegill) grow at least one year before you put in preditors.
If you do not want to wait for the MDC, checkout this link - you could probably stock minnows and small bluegill this fall.
http://www.missourifishfarms.com/fish_farms_info/fish_days_schedule.htm

Bubba,
I forgot to mention, - The MDC will not stock your lake if there are any fish in it, (although my local agent told me that they would allow fathead minnows).
So don't add the bluegill if you decide to apply to the MDC.

Thanks for your help,guys. I like the idea of free fish, but i dont really want to wait that long to get started so i guess ill go it alone.
Every fish stocking recipe seems to have catfish in it,is their a reason for that?
Would there be a web site i can go to,to get an idea of what the fish will cost?

Not sure if they come to your area but they cover most of the area on a monthly basis. Arkansas Ponstockers current prices. I have had good luck with them and low mortality rates.

Type of Fish Size Price

Channel Catfish 4-6" $38.00 per 100
Channel Catfish 6-8" $55.00 per 100
Black Crappie (when available) 3-5" $85.00 per 100
Largemouth Bass 1-3" $80.00 per 100
Hybrid Bluegill 1-3" $40.00 per 100
Hybrid Bluegill 3-4" $55.00 per 100
Coppernose Bluegill 1-3" $40.00 per 100
Redear Sunfish (Shellcracker) 1-3" $50.00 per 100
*Triploid Grass Carp 8-11" $8.00 each
Fathead Minnows 200-300 per pound $8.00 per pound

Hope that gives you some idea.

Bob

Bubba you do not have to stock Catfish...they are just a novilty fish only.
for Crappie stock your pond "Bass" Heavy and try to astablish a threadfin shad forage base. Of course have you Blue Gill and redear population strong.
After your Bass and bluegill have been astablished for a good solid year. Stock about 50 Adult Black crappie.....Remeber fish ALL you can on these Crappie and KEEP ALL YOU catch!!! Harvest some on the BASS and very littel on the Bream.
You are going to want to keep a close eye on your shad population, make sure it is strong..

bowtiebubba,

My 2 cents worth:

1) start with the forage base as soon as possible and then stock predators next spring
2) only stock what you prefer (and in my case that means no catfish). Consider HSB as another predator. They are a spectacular pond fish if you have a feeding program and good forage.
3) Don't wait till next year
4) Vertex is a great system. I have one, but could not find one "cheap"...but I do recommend it. I did not buy the "package" just the compressor and diffusers and believe I saved money that way. Regardless, again it is a great system.

Will add that another con to catfish as I have found out in my pond is they love to stir up the bottom when they get larger and tend to make the pond muddy especially with our red clay soil here in Bama.

Bob

A couple more thoughts:
You aerator system could probably wait until next spring since the lake is new and you do not have a big bio-mass - so there is no big oxygen demand - I think it would just be a waste of energy.
I would start the foodchain asap - and I think bluegill and fatheads are your best bet for central Missouri. I don't think the threadfin shad will live through our winters.

Glad to hear i dont have to put catfish in. So to start with right away, would be minnows and bluegill, just bluegill or hybrid bluegill?
How many would i need to put in to start with?
I hope at some point in time i will be able to give advice, instead of asking for it all the time. Thanks again

Bubba, The bluegill are your forage base. They are prolific spawners and the backbone of the upper end your food chain. Water quality takes care of the bottom end of the food chain. Hybrid bluegills offer no advantage. No credible study that I am aware of even claims that they get larger than native bluegills. My PERSONAL belief is that they are nothing but a scam and a dangerous one for those that don't ask the right question like you are doing. Initial stocking numbers? The recipe calls for 1,000 bluegills and 5 lbs. of fatheads per acre. Actually, make that an 80/20 mix of bluegills and redears. You can start with less and count on reproduction as long as you wait later to stock predators. However, that doesn't sound like your goal. Neither was it mine. So, if you want to do it right, start with 1500 bluegills and redears plus about 8 pounds of fatheads. Let them get about 3 spawns and then add predators. BTW, you would do yourself a real favor to subscribe to Pond Boss magazine and buy the book "Raising Trophy Bass". The book answers most of the important questions you are asking and the mag always has things that I am too stupid to consider.

bowtiebubba, the Missouri Dept of Conservation has a very good article about how to manage crappie in Missouri ponds. You can look for their web site with the search function.

Next, there is absolutely no law that says you have to stock only little fish. Especially this time of year, you can easily get breeding size fish. There isn't any reason you can't get a spawn or two yet this year. I'm talking about bluegill now. You probably also would want to stock the redears yet this year. The LMB and crappie can be stocked next spring.

btbubba - BE carefull not to add too many different kinds of reproducing predators (fish that eat fish) in a pond that only has bluegill /redear sunfish as a forage fish. From reading other posts here I hope you realize that your fathead minnows will only last a short while after you stock the bass. The minnows are around just long enough to get your bass a "jump start" on growth the first year. It is very doubtful if bluegill/redears alone can produce enough forage to feed bass, crappie and some hybrid striped bass and expect all those predators to grow well or grow at normal rates unless you keep the numbers of predators heavily thinned out or culled.