Pond Boss Forums STOCKING A NEW POND Types of fish to choose stocking -confused

confused about reccomendations for stocking a new pond.say for example stock pond first year with 750bluegill,250redear,10lbs of fatheads per acre first year in spring.second year stock largemouth at a rate of 50 per acre and have been utilizing proper fertilization program and supplemental feeding for bluegills.heres my dilema say for example the inital stocking of bass have a 80% survival rate to adulthood.that leaves 40 bass per acre.I have been told in the past that the carrying capacity of a well managed pond is 80 lbs per acre of bass.if this is the case wouldnt this leave you with a bunch of 2lb fish in adulthood.any comments appreciated dd

dd -- Theoretically Yes. But the 80 lbs is spread among several sizes or year classes of bass (fingerlings, yearlings and several sizes of adults). Approx. 80 lb bass /acre if you have a well managed pond. Exceptional cases sometimes get a little more than 80/lb/ac but very rare; usu less than 80 lb/ac sometimes as low as 25 lb/ac. Depending on how YOU manage the adults (selective harvest) will determine what sizes they are. Every Forum member should have Pond Boss' Raising Trophy Bass by Bob Lusk. It should be required reading for every member. for the book see the "Books" button on the Opening Page.

Bill's exactly right. And, thanks for the plug, my friend.
Look at fish like you look at other livestock. They don't grow at the same rates. Some are aggressive, grow fast. Some are passive, grow slower. Some are eaten. After the first year, bass spawn. So, numbers fluctuate wildly through the course of a year. At spawn, you may have 40,000 baby bass, with 20 two year old adults, and 35 one year old adults, with 15 sub-adults the same age as the previous 35. Then, two weeks later, you may have 4,000 babies, with larger bass, then two weeks later 400 baby bass, with the adult. The bottom line is this...your bass population should be dynamic. That's part of what makes their management so much fun. Watch growth rates of bass. That will be your trigger for change.