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#509173 07/21/19 12:22 PM
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Looking for suggestions for my unusual little pond. My new-to-me pond, came already stocked with LMB and BG. Since I moved in the spring, I've added 7 lbs of GSH and 4 lbs of FHM. I also added 100 BG, 30 HBG, and 35 YP. I know I'm going to add some redear when I can find them, but looking for suggestions on what else to add? I'm considering SMB, WE, or possibly HSB. My goal is to have as diverse of a pond as possible. I know smallmouth don't do well with laregmouth typically, but interested to see how it'd go. If I did WE or HSB I'd probably only get around a dozen as my pond is small (1/8 acre). My only concern with the walleye is that I've read that they love to feed on YP. Not sure if they'd be any worse than the LMB that are already in there... Would love to hear other's suggestions on what to try next

Last edited by Freg; 07/21/19 12:57 PM.
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Well first of all, the FHM you added are all dead. You can stock them into a new pond, but they get eaten really fast in an established pond.

With a pond that small there's a lot that can go wrong with such a complicated combination of fish. Are you aiming to do a put-and-take strategy? How do you feel about pellet feeding?

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I actually caught several FHMs in a trap a couple weeks ago. I have dense vegetation and a lot of other cover. Not sure if they've reproduced, but I have seen clouds of "minnows" hanging around my diffusers. I pellet feed 3 times a day. My YP and HBG have put on an incredible amount of weight in a short time. As far as " put and take" I only plan on taking to cull. I've pulled a few LMB out but probably need to take more. I've got a few 15-20" inch fish and a decent number of smaller ones, they've gotten really good at evading hooks ..

Last edited by Freg; 07/21/19 03:08 PM.
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You can keep the food chain a bit less complicated if you add something that eats pellets and won't spawn. Channel catfish would offer the least competition to the LMB present. HSB will compete some, but they could work. Both are very fun to catch.

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fish for those guys with live minnows or the smallest live BG you can get

As far as CC - they do compete with LMB once they reach apex size

Unless those YP you added were 8" + they probably have been eaten or will be soon enough...it will be hard to establish YP in a pond with LMB

Get the largest WE, HSB, RES and YP you can


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It's strange, the bass aren't near as agressive to hit a live minnow as the YP and HBG are. I have no interest in CC as I don't enjoy catching them. The perch I put in were 6-10" and are doing well, I've caught a couple that are 12 inches already. I'm really hoping that the YP will establish but I guess if I have to, I can just restock every now and then.

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With the variety you have going on already, assuming you have room to stock more, why not add HSB, WE, and SMB? Not I that I have any experience with WE of SMB and only a small bit of experience with the HSB, but it would be a cool fishing experience at that small pond never knowing what's going to hit.


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I dont know this a factual, but I'm pretty sure I've read here that mixing both LMB and SMB in the same pond would not be a good mix. The LMB would not allow the SMB to be very successful in rearing young. YP/WE introduction into a pond where LMB are already established is also kinda like adding FHM. Their fusiform makes them a prime forage target and susceptible to over predation.

Last edited by Mike Whatley; 07/22/19 11:18 AM.

.10 surface acre pond, 10.5 foot deep. SW LA. The epitome of a mutt pond. BG, LMB, GSF, RES, BH, Warmouth, Longear Sunfish, Gambusia,Mud Minnows, Crappie, and now shiners!!...I subscribe!!
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That's kinda what I'm going for with this pond. LMB is what I have the least interest in, as I can go out to the reservoir and catch them whenever I want. The HSB are probably what I have the next least interest in since I can routinely go out to the lake and catch a bunch of them in a few hours. I've never experienced WE or SMB in a pond and love the idea of never knowing what's going to be on the end of my line next.

Last edited by Freg; 07/23/19 07:25 AM.
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If you aren't interested in the fish that were already present, have you considered starting over from scratch? The WE and SMB might be better off if there weren't any LMB at all. As an example of how effective LMB are as a predator, when they were introduced into Japan they began terrorizing the snakehead fish there. So sure you might catch a unique fish here and there, but LMB will sit dominantly at the top of the food chain. The presence of an ultra-dominant predator doesn't seem to fit with your goal of having variety. Especially if the dominant fish is one that doesn't interest you.

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That's a good point Scott. If I was starting from square 1, I wouldn't put any LMB in there but since they were already present I really don't want to drain the pond. Also I do love to catch BG. I certainly don't mind LMB I just see them as kinda "boring". I don't doubt that they dominant my foodchain currently, and will continue to do so, but my thought is that if I pellet feed aggressively, cull LMB, and provide a wide forage base and dense cover that I can support a variety of species in a small body of water. I would love for most of my species to recruit, but I'm willing to replace fish every now and then if they are unable to with the presence of LMB.

Last edited by Freg; 07/22/19 05:51 PM.
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Well if you ever have trouble with your LMB eating any fish you attempt to stock, consider that you may not have to drain the pond in order to remove them. The purpose of draining is to reduce the amount of rotenone needed; at only 1/8 acre it may be totally affordable to go for it while it's at full capacity. After nearly 20 years as a pond owner, I can say it's real headache to have any species that goes against your main goals.

Also consider that a few small studies have indicated that catchability in an inheritable trait in LMB. So the more you cull them, the harder it will be to catch the remaining LMB and their offspring. Your goal of maximum variety may depend on severely culling the LMB, but I lack the expertise to say how much you can achieve through angling pressure alone in a pond that size. Ask the pros on that one.

On another note, how long does your water stay below 70 degrees from fall to spring? Some pond owners who have very clean water that stays cool well into the spring will add some variety with rainbow trout. Any you don't catch will die in the summer heat; so you stock them in the fall, fatten them up with pellet feed, and harvest them in the spring. I've done it once before and it was fun.

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I've already thought about stocking some rainbows this winter. My bottom water temps don't get about mid to upper 70s so I'm sure they'd live for a good while. Any thoughts on whether they'd put any substantial pressure on my forage base while being fed pellets?

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In 1/8 acre you need to be careful about over stocking. I did it in a 1/4 acre pond and lost everything due to too much waste. It created an O2 crash and it wasn't pretty.


It's not about the fish. It's about the pond. Take care of the pond and the fish will be fine. PB subscriber since before it was in color.

Without a sense of urgency, Nothing ever gets done.

Boy, if I say "sic em", you'd better look for something to bite. Sam Shelley Rancher and Farmer Muleshoe Texas 1892-1985 RIP
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Overstocking of fish that will not reproduce is ok so long as you make room for them. You can slide in some HSB and WE pretty easily if you remove a few LMB. 8"+ HSB and 10"+ WE should have some fairly good survivability even if there are 18"+ LMB. Stock late in the season when you have a better chance of receiving larger fish from the supplier.

1/8 acre pond should be fairly easy to remove some LMB to make room for other predators


Mat Peirce
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Dave,

Were you running aeration? Anything else that may have been a contributing factor I should look out for? I need to get a DO meter to start checking, but my fish seem to be doing very well based in their feeding habits and growth. I currently have 2 diffusers and a back up aerator if needed. The pond is also spring fed.

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Unless you have them stocked at the kind of high densities you would see in an intensive aquaculture setting (10kg of fish per cubic meter of water), your fish consume a small minority of the oxygen in your pond. Bacterial and other microbial life are the primary oxygen consumers as they feed on decaying organic matter.

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Freg, no I wasn't and I overlooked that in your post. Actually, it's about 1/2 mile from electricity. Also, no springs in my area.


It's not about the fish. It's about the pond. Take care of the pond and the fish will be fine. PB subscriber since before it was in color.

Without a sense of urgency, Nothing ever gets done.

Boy, if I say "sic em", you'd better look for something to bite. Sam Shelley Rancher and Farmer Muleshoe Texas 1892-1985 RIP

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