Pond Boss Forums STOCKING A NEW POND Types of fish to choose What fish can I put in?

I'm looking to have a 1.5- 2 acre pond and 12-15 feet deep. I was wondering what fish I could stock, I'm in North Georgia. Out of
LMB Bluegill, Channel Catfish, Crappie, Walleye, Muskey, Small mouth bass, grass carp, blue tilapia pike, and any suggestions.

Hi James, no crappie! They'll take over a small pond. I'd go with LMB, BG, CC and many fat head minnows. I wouldn't stock any of the others that you mentioned.

Thank you why wouldn't you go with small mouth bass would they not survive? and one more thing I'm just wondering could they all survive in Ga or would some die like pike and musky because it is to far south? Thanks

Copper nose bluegill is an option I'd go with.. You'll need a predator to control there #'s or they'll stunt and over populate.. LMB is the predator to control there #'s smallmouth won't.. Are you planning on feeding.?

Yes I was planning to feed. But I'm more interested to know which fish I had the ability to stock as in which ones would survive in GA. I've done a lot of research, but could not find out if pike and musky could survive in such warm weather. I just wanted to know all the different varieties of fish I could stock thanks

The more you stoc the more there is too manage.. Contact Greg Grimes he's the top notch pondman for Georgia..

If you're not in a hurry to get things cooking I would do this:

Build all of the structure that you need in your pond. Plan spawning areas. Add cover for forage. Pick out some plant species that will help your forage spawn and grow. Get all of that in order first.

Then I would follow the following stocking plan. This will take a few years, but it will almost guarantee you a great fishery.

Year 1:

Lake Chub Suckers @ as many as you can catch up to 1000 per acre. Make sure that you really take the time to identify them correctly.

Mississippi Grass Shrimp @ these are almost impossible to count. You just have to have the right type of plant life for them to thrive. They are a necessity for me. They provide so much and there is no drawback to having them in the pond.

Crayfish @ 50 pounds per acre. Make sure that you have plenty of rocky cover for them. Rock piles, rip rap, cinder block pieces, are all good choices.

Mudpuppies @ however many you can find. I personally like them and think that they add some variety to your pond. They do exist naturally in northern Georgia. If you can find them you should add them. If you can't then don't worry about it.

Year 2:

Fathead Minnows @ 10 pounds per acre. These little beasts will spawn like crazy and be the base forage for your small bass. They will be eliminated quickly, but they will give your bass the boost they need to grow.

Golden Shiners @ 1000 per acre. These, like your Lake Chub Suckers, require vegetation to spawn. So, think ahead. They provide great bass forage and they also help to reduce the fecundity of bass by eating some eggs. This is actually a good thing.

Fingernail Clams @ unsure. You will probably have to find these yourself, but they will provide a good food source for some of your other forage species. Just make sure that you have the right species of clam before adding them to your pond.

I like the idea of adding certain snails to my pond to serve as a viable food source for other forage items. Some people disagree. I will let you do your own research and come to your own conclusion.

Bullfrog Tadpoles @ a few hundred per acre. They will find their way in naturally, but if you add them you can be certain that they will be there.

Year 3:

Threadfin Shad @ these come in by the load. I'm sure that half a load would cover your two acre pond pretty well. These are prime bass forage and if you're in an area where they won't winterkill I couldn't imagine having a bass pond without them.

Redear Sunfish @ 200 per acre. These guys really are a niche kind of fish. Your bass will eat them, and they will feed in a different part of the food chain than your bluegill.

Bluegill @ 1000 per acre. These will eventually be the staple of your bass' diet. You can use the Northern variety or Coppernose. If your water stays warmer year round Coppernose would be the better choice.

F1 Largemouth Bass @ 50 per acre. These would be my choice in your area. If you do everything else right you should get a good combination of fish that reach large size and fish that are fairly easily caught.




Georgia is not a state that allows you to stock tilapia in ponds so those are out.

Rainbow trout make great winter forage for largemouth and you could certainly stock a few hundred seasonally.

You may also want to consider using a mechanical feeder to help feed your bluegill. They will readily accept feed and this will help them reproduce and grow to a size that makes them fun to catch and great to eat.

Channel catfish would probably be an option for you, especially if you decide to feed your fish. I wouldn't stock more than 100 cats in your 2 acre pond. They will compete with your bass to some degree for food and they do get rather large. If you really want them then you can stock them, but if you would enjoy just bass and bluegill fishing then you can leave them out and that is all the better.

Sorry for the long winded response, but I dream some day of having a southern pond and I have done a lot of thinking about it LOL.

James, congrats.

Let's apply some restraint here first, and let me pose an important question:

What are your goals for this fishery?

Trophy LMB? Trophy BG? Do you want to step outside the box and create a specialized/rare fishery for GA as you're likely surrounded by BG, CC and LMB?

Once you address that, tell us how quickly you want to achieve your goals. Do you have time, or do you want to arrive as quickly as possible? Are you budget conscious, or are you planning on investing a lot of capital to stocking?

We need to peek inside your head first before we can make solid recommendations. Let us know, we've all been there and are happy to help provide some direction. Welcome to the forum!

Are tilapia legal in Georgia now?

Also second that Greg Grimes is top notch!

Crappie would not be good..