Pond Boss Forums STOCKING A NEW POND Types of fish to choose Stocking a new 3/4 acre pond in Central Texas

I'm about to build a 3/4 acre pond on my property in central Texas. I expect it to be ready and at least 25% full of water in 4-6 weeks (i.e. late January to mid-February). I'd like to manage it for LMB fishing in the next few years. Any thoughts on how I should stock it? If possible, can Tilapia be included in the mix?

Thank you all for your wisdom.

Welcome to Pond Boss!

Most of the answers you seek are spread throughout the existing forum but let's try to answer some of them.

Most likely, you want to start with establishing the forage base. This could be fathead minnows, golden shiners, bluegill, tilapia and others.

The timing of the stockings might have some impact on the total amount of fish your pond can hold. What I mean is that when you stock all the forage first, there's no predator to eat the forage base, and in a smaller body of water, you can get closer to the total biomass of the pond.

Some say to give it a full year to let the forage base establish.

Then, you might want to consider only stocking one sex of LMB so there can be no overpopulating.

Hybrid Stripped Bass might be a consideration also.

Thanks, Sunil. Was thinking of using one of these Trophy Bass packages: http://www.pondking.com/services/fish_stocking/stocking_plans.asp

But it sounds as if I'd want to hold off on putting in the LMB for at least a few months.

H

Some of the latest thinking goes for doing the LMB stocking about a year after the forage.

The packages you linked seem to put all the fish in at one time with different packages for the size of stocking fish (yearling vs. advanced adult).

They also mention crappie, and that has a lot of potential pitfalls in the overall mix especially in a 3/4 acre pond.

Keep defining your goals, and people here will help guide you along for optimum results vs. your goals.

There are lots of ways to stock depending on goals , size of fish , cost , timing and availability of fish. I will look at the link and be back. Suggest you get a copy of Basic Pond Mgt and Raising Trophy Bass from PB web site and read some here. We can help but it comes down to your understanding and desire to work at mgt.

Also consider these things for a soon to be built pond: depth.
1. Climate in TX can be dry, really dry. Evaporation can be abundant during long dry seasons.
2. Lack of a really good thick, well packed, clay pond liner can contribute to excessively low water levels esp during those dry spells. Plan for it. Water levels can easily be down 4-6ft.
3. Extra depth with bottom diffused aeration will be important to mimimize shallowness due to sedimentation build-up from organic productivity esp if you fertilize the pond. Fertilizing IMO can increase the rate of muck accumulation 3-5 times. Thus extra depth and aeration miminize the affects of sludge build-up.
4. Do your extensive homework here by reading lots of old posts for growing LMB in southern areas. Fertilize, pellet feed, or both for growing numerous high quality bass.
5. Forage, its abundance and proper size, are very important at each growth increment for predators. In addition to Sunil's sage forage fish advice consider threadfin shad (best production usu requires fertilization or naturally fertile water that grows lots of plankton; both animal and plant types.
6. Ask questions, we are here to advise.
7. If you haven't ever caught a hybrid stripped bass, don't overlook them. Catching a larger one is like hooking onto a high speed train.
8.PS - Welcome to our Free Pond Advice Forum. The magazine is very helpful for growing QUALITY fish. Utilize the Table of Contents and Indexes for all back Pond Boss Issues listed in the Q-A Archives. See the Jan-Feb 2011 PBoss Magazine for a very good article all about culling LMB for 4 common types of LMB pond - when, why, how many, and how.
http://www.pondboss.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=postlist&Board=22&page=1

I looked at the web link and site. You have to read those things very carefully to understand what they mean. I don't recommend any of those plans (close to old type standard plans) for TROPHY BASS ponds or even balanced fisheries with LMB. There is a lot of info here on the subject from the best in the business. You have to understand what a trophy bass pond means. Goals are key !!! Trophy LMB ponds are different from balanced fishing ponds in most respects from stocking to mgt to catching. Fewer LMB , more forage (some of it not stuff you may want to catch)and less catching and fishing - fewer but bigger fish.

Welcome to the forum!

Read everybody's posts again, and ewest's last post twice. In a 3/4 ac pond, you won't have very many trophy LMB. Maybe a couple, but for sure less than 10. How many times can each fish be caught?

Thanks to all for such valuable feedback. This site is an amazing resource.

I have considered the problems of our dry, evaporative, Central Texas climate. I am fortunate in that I can somewhat supplement my pond's water levels with a well. One of the few advantages of such a small pond is that it's practical to top it off occassionally with well water. Having said that, I'm hoping to have my contractor build one end to a depth of 15-20 feet to hold a small amount of water at the bottom in the event of an extended drought.

But to the issue of stocking: I will definitely attempt to establish a forage base for several months before introducing predators like large mouth bass (I don't think I have the patience to wait a whole year though!). I wasn't planning on including crappie in my stocking mix, as I have read that that could cause problems in such a small body of water. I didn't know threadfin shad or hybrid stripped bass are viable in this part of the country -- at least none of the hatcheries seem to stock them.

And, yes, I'm aware that a pond of less than an acre is unlikely to produce very many trophy fish. Fortunately, I only plan on catching them one at a time. :-)

Overton Fisheries in Buffalo (Central Texas)has high quality Hybrid Striped Bass as well as tilapia.
As Bill Cody says "If you haven't ever caught a hybrid stripped bass, don't overlook them. Catching a larger one is like hooking onto a high speed train."

OK. You've got ME hooked. Can Hybrid Striped Bass co-exist with Large Mouth Bass. Or is it one or the other?

Yes, Hybrid Striped Bass coexist very well with Large Mouth Bass.
Check out the link below.

http://www.pondboss.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=241390

I saw the photos of what he pulled out of his QUARTER ACRE pond. Holy cow!! Now I am definitely interested!

The advise that has been provide is priceless. Yes, read the entire thread again.

Sobering, in a way. Trophy bass (still need your definition) is a noble goal for a 3/4 acre pond, due to limitations. Here are my recommendations:

Once the pond is ready, stock with forage only, traditionally coppernose bluegill, redear sunfish, and fathead minnows.

Start a feeding program and install an aeration system, grow forage.

Stock pure florida bass fingerlings once your forage base is robust. Give your florida bass at least a year to grow.

At that point you have done your best to pave the way to trophy bass potential. Control submerged aquatic vegetation, provide adequate artificial structure as habitat.

After year one you can start to stock advanced forage like tilapia, and you have a viable option to add other predators such as hybrid stripers, feedtrained largemouth bass, winter trout, etc, and maintain the feeding program with a high protein (Purina Aquamax 600) supplement.

Adjust the program as necessary along the way....