Pond Boss Forums STOCKING A NEW POND Types of fish to choose Unknown fish?

bc - ?? There are two Fenders in Ohio? ??One by Akron and one in Amish country near Millersberg - Baltic area. ?

Amish country

The Fenders at Baltic are "Fender's Fish and Llama Farm." I heard the owner, Steve Fender, give a talk on Grass Carp at a Pond Symposium 2 or 3 years ago. He knew his stuff with respect to Triploid White Amur.

County rd 12 baltic ohio, fish and llama farm, He may know something about whatever he spoke on but according to the people on this sight and the green sunfish and crappie I have in my pond on his "opinion", He doesnt know dick! I was green myself and took the word and trusted someone that they new more than me because they did it everyday and maybe I was not as smart as him because I did not want the crappie or hybrids or green sunfish or cat fish but again I was wrong, another lesson learned maybe someone else will read this and learn a valuable lesson. If you are starting out with a pond do not assume some of the people selling you stuff for your pond know more than you do, THEY DONT!! Just like a everyone else they are out for number 1. If you want legit info ask the question here! This is the best site for CORRECT info there are a few who act like they are selling but 99.9% are here to help. I am finished ranting now sorry got that off my chest.

BC, calm down...lol, funny reading. Many here have seen much worse, ever seen a pond go dry and watch your fish die ? Also, you're not positive that your "bad" fish came from a fish farm, read up...many here have been on the "wrong" end of a neighbor who just wanted to help. Your pond is young and can easily be corrected, just chalk this one up to experience. Get out your fishing pole...toss what you don't like over your shoulder. Even with the best pro's managing your pond, you still need to catch and release...catch and toss...or catch and cook. With a good effort, you can turn your fish balance over in a hurry. Read here first, then find out where you screw up, read again...all of it is here ! You just have to go through the trial and error phase of it. Very few have done "everything" right the first time.

Thanks eastland as a matter of fact the fish and toss method started today, green sunfish 0 me 2 next is crappie and catfish dinner. If you cant beat em eat em!

Thanks cecil you were correct it is a "greenie" Acoording to fender it is what they mix with something else to get a hybrid he swears there is nothing wrong them also swears crappie are ok? He stills says he knows more about it than most and I tend to believe him after having a long discussion with him.

Fender also says hello to Mr cody. When I mentioned your name and ask him if you taught him everything he knows he just grinned?????? Also gave you a few good pats on the back.

bc, the point of all this is that it isn't what we get in our lakes, but what we do with what we get. In the long run, it is likely that we will get many different species in our lakes that we might not particularily want. That's the way the world works. The question always ends up being how do we deal with it? To me, this is where the fun and challenge really starts.

Norm thats a really great way of looking at it. Sometimes it seems as if I get so wrapped up in doing the right thing you know big bass little bass, crappie no crappie, catfish good no bad, but when you boil it down me an my little five year old girl are having more fun catching frogs blue gill and crappie (which are two fish I never fished for before owning a pond)than anything else. Having such a diversity helps because when one is not biting the other usually is, if I had it to do over looking back I would do it the same way again. I really enjoy catching crappie and pound for pound I do not know anything that fights harder than a blue gill. This also opened me up to ultra light fishing before it was 17 lb test and get to the boat no its just getting them on the lineand watching my daughter laugh and giggle going back I would have to say thanks to old Mr Fender giving me so many choices keeps it from getting boring and boy the things I have learned.

bc - D. Fender is knowledgable as you discovered in talking to him for a while. Glad to hear he is still healthy. His stocking philosophy and expertise is for"down home" general fishing ponds. He assumes his stocked ponds will have an abundant bass population that will keep most of the "unwanteds" from overpopulating. He has quality fish and his place is about the only one in Ohio where you can reliably buy large adult gamefish. The area where he might be relatively "weak" is in speciality fish raising ponds or special purpose ponds. In these situations his fish need to be sorted. I always sort his fish when stocking them.

nice to know I will keep that in mind

bc, it's taken me so many years to finally figure out that it's not the fish but the experience that counts. You and your little girl can have just as much fun with a green sunfish as you can with a LMB. It all depends on our attitude. Little green sunfish are absolutely beautiful. You an your daughter can find so much joy in all of those colors! Think of all the fun we have watching brightly colored little fish in aquariums.