Pond Boss Forums STOCKING A NEW POND Types of fish to choose My future pond stocking strategy

Well, this is one of my first posts and just thought I would say hi. I have been reading this forum for the past 8 months and love every bit of it. I am going to be putting a subscription in for the magazine and if funds prevail (they are in short supply due to an upcoming wedding that I need to pay for), I will be ordering some back issues as well.

I do not have a pond yet (except the 175 gal. pond I am putting in for landscaping purposes). But I am just as excited as ever. A couple more years, I will be selling my house and moving to an acreage and plan on building my 2 acre pond. But since I am a planner and too damn excited about the future prospect. I can't sit on the sidelines, I already have put together lots of documentation on this stuff. To try to do it right the first time.

Anyways, here is what I would like to do. Just a heads up though, I am a expiremental type person, hate the "norm." So here is my plan, let me know your comments/suggestions:

Native Bluegill 1800 1st Year
Redear Sunfish 400 1st Year
Fathead Minnows 15 lbs. 1st Year
Golden Shiners 15 lbs. 1st Year
Crayfish 300 1st Year
Threadfin Shad 15 lbs. 1st Year
Blue Catfish 10 1st Year
Channel Catfish 25 1st Year
Tadpoles 200 2nd Year
Yellow Perch 325 2nd Year
LM Bass 35 2nd Year
SM Bass 200 2nd Year

Later on:
Gizzard Shad 20 lbs. 4th yr. maybe
HS Bass 100 P&T 4th yr.
Walleye 40 P&T 4th yr. maybe
Moz. Tilapia 15 lbs. start 3rd/4th yr.
Rainbow Trout 75 P&T 4th yr+
Brook Trout 25 P&T 4th yr+
Brown Trout 25 P&T 4th yr+
Tri. Grass Carp 4 start ???

As you can see I am aiming for a diverse fish environment. My goal is to have decent size catching fish and the chance for a trophy size game fish (chance is only a couple times a year). Not a big LMB/BG/Cat guy, but wanted just a few in there for diversity. My big fish that I want to see in the pond are yellow perch (I'm orig. from WI, love those YP fish frys too damn much), walleye (just another great tasty fish) and SMB (love the fight and the taste). So let me know what you would do in my shoes. Thanks in advance. Oh, plan on aerating with a windmill aerator (love Renewable Energy). And swimming/diving(air tank) in the pond occasionally.

ceadmin, I was in exactly the same position as you about 10 yrs. ago with pretty much the same philosophy. Spent a lot of time planning.
Wanted diversity and spent a lot money trying to get it. Much of it wasted. I'll share my experience and hope it helps. I'm in NW Ohio so climate is similar. p.s.- My pond is about half the size of what you're planning.
I'll just comment on the species i have experience with.

BG-1800 seems like a lot- i never stocked them because of the nibble factor- we swim a lot- have never really regreted not stocking
Red ear- good choice-are harder to catch though
Minnows- yes- i stocked as many species as i could find- a season before everything else so they could spawn
Crayfish- yes-beware the rusty crayfish
Shad- no exp.
Blue cats- no exp.
CC- yes
Tadpoles- IMHO not necessary- my fish don't eat them and unless you live in a desert, bullfrogs at least will find your pond-also bullfrogs can wipe out lesser native frogs- tree frogs, cricket frogs, etc.
YP- yes
BASS- yes to both- i think its a coin toss as to which will dominate-in my pond-its the SM- might want to try equal numbers of each and see who wins- maybe they'll balance out -you never know
HSB- never had much luck with stockings and not sure why? still a mystery
Saugeye did better than my Walleye-neither showed a lot of growth
RB Trout- stocked several- no returns- i don't have spring or aeration though
Grass carp- use as needed- i like some plants- so i use them sparingly

hope this helps a little

fishbird:

Where did you find Saugeye for stocking? Or did you catch them somewhere and then transplant?

theo, I got some yrs. ago(8?) from Fenders- he called me and told he had some- i then drove across the state to get them- pricey though,$5.00 each for 10-12"- they did well but didn' t grow much- were easy to catch

Fishbird, what is the "nibble factor" with Bluegill? Are you saying that they nibble on you when you swim?

Sunil, BG are known to nibble on people while swimming. Mostly on exposed nipples and moles. Never happened to me.

Thank you fishbird for your comments, I appreciate it. Never even thought of saugeye (kind of like the mut of the bunch, though I always liked purebreds ... heheh)

Anybody else have anything, feel free to keep the discussion going.

So Dave, do you mean to say that:

A) You have no nipples?
B) You have no moles?
C) You have no bluegill?
or
D) You don't swim in your pond?

Sunil, A couple of bouts with skin cancer has kept me from revealing my magnificent physique.

Actually, the BG have never bothered me. But then, mosquitos don't mess with me, bees don't sting me, etc. It drives my wife nuts. Everything bites and stings her. One of my daughters once said that I'm too full of crap and wildlife notices toxicity. About the only thing that really scares me is a woman with a lawyer.

Amen to that!

ceadmin,

Without knowing the sizes of fish you plan to stock and from what little I know (its all come from this forum) here is my opinion.
The addition of blue cats, with the exception of big_pond , would raise the eyebrows of some here on the board. The addition of LMB in year two puts a predator into the mix. This predator will have the benefit of two years growth before you add your trout, walleye and HSB. Depending on the stocking size, you may just be adding bass bait.
The recent issue of PB magazine offers an article on walleye. When you order your subscription, ask PB if they could include this one with your subscription, if not, list your address and I will send you a photocopy of the article.

DoubleD, is that a woman with a woman lawyer??

Russ

Russ, I once found that any woman with any lawyer is dangerous. Trying to fight two of them would be like bringing a knife to a gunfight.

Thank you for your comments Russ.

The walleye and HSB were to be added at a larger size later on. The trout were also going to be added at a larger size but they were just going to be stocked in Oct for a put & take fishery for the winter time only. I think it would be too warm here for them to survive our summers.

The blues were added for diversity and would be fished out later on.