Pond Boss Forums POND CONSTRUCTION Creating habitat BigFishingDaddy - Newbe alert !

I am cleaning out my farm pond, which is about 1/4 acre in size. Getting a dozer to scrape out the 50 years of silt accumulation from another farmer's field. So, i might end up with a 1/4 pond,,,, 6-8 feet in depth. Rectangle in size. I would like to stock,,, bass, feeder fish, blue gill, couple of cats,,, maybe a few hybrid striped bass (fun to catch) Pretty simple.
So, based on those stats, what structure should i consider? I dont have much to work with here,,, THANK YOU

Hello BigFishingDaddy and welcome to pond boss. I'll let the experts address your structure question and the experts might want to discuss your stocking plan if you're interested in hearing about it. So hang on and you'll get some advice. Thanks for posting and we're glad you found us.

(I was going to abbreviate your name but though better of it after I typed it).

JHAP - I never thought what my acronym would be ! ha ! You can call me Big Daddy if you like,,,,,,,,,,,

I am interested in all ideas,,, and very interesting in opinions on stocking strategies too. ALSO,,,, interested in maintaining oxygen levels naturally without mechanical aeration... I do get some run off from a cropped field, so i can get some fertilizer runoff. yours truely,,,,BFD

mr. BFDaddy....i never thought about my acronmym either til some guy here (who reportedly is an aerospace engineer and cattle rancher at the same time) solved the puzzle.....

respectfully signed,

DIED

Howdy, BFDaddy!

Have you considered stocking on the installment plan? You could put in a generic forage base (FHM) and non-spawners (HSB and cavity-less CC) and feed them fish food. See how you like those species before committing to BG/LMB which will pretty much maintain their own presence forever.

1/4 acre would not be too big to add a decent amount of structure to after filling, if you want to consider the lighter structure options presented rather than going whole hog aead of time.


I also walk dogs.

The great Robert Heinlein said "Specialization is for insects". I think he would have approved of your body of work.

Still learning about stocking plan,, but after doing some reading here,, i would like to stock generously with forage base that reproduces rapdily,, i would stock them after I get a foot or more of water level after the pond rehab is complete,,,, how fast do they reproduce? if i add Forage in late spring,, can I add BG and LMB in the fall ? HELP !! thanks BFD

Welcome to PB BigFishingDaddy...

Once you get your revamped 1/4 acre pond finished you'll have lots of options. Your ideas in what fish you want to stock are extremely reasonable but with your size pond the management of them can be difficult. Theo has some good points about the CC and HSB.

With your pond being in the 1/4 size, the management of the LMB and the BG can be tough. They both naturally reproduce and that can be difficult to manage. Since your pond is not overly large, the need for structure is diminished. You do not need to help concentrate fish in an area to be more successful fishing simple because the fish in your pond will not have a large area to hide...

Your situation may actually be one that is better for HBG as opposed to pure BG. With this small a size pond, the HBG will be easier to manage. They reproduce in lower numbers and this will allow the LMB to manage them very efficiently. You didn't mention exactly what your goals were, but I am assuming a mixed fishery where you can catch a lot of decent sized fish without the need for "trophy" fish. If this was is case, I don't think you really need much structure. I also think some RES in your pond would be a good addition along with the HBG. They will add to the mix and keep the snail problem in your pond under control.

I know you said you don't wish to aerate, which is no big deal. It will lower the overall numbers of fish you can stock but that is not a big deal... HSB are hardy but in a smaller pond without aeration, the largest size HSB will at times be stressed. They are an active open water fish and when they get over about 4 lbs, they need more DO than at smaller sizes. You didn't mention if you would or wouldn't be feeding your fish??? Assuming you aren't going to be feeding your fish...

My idea on stocking:

This spring stock between 5 and 10 lbs of FHM.
This fall stock 200 4"-6" HBG.
This fall stock 50 4"-6" RES.
This fall stock 50 2"-4" LMB.

The CC and HSB can be stocked whenever. I would consider stocking the CC in the spring at a smaller size(save you money) or in the fall at a slightly larger size. If you aren't feeding, keep the CC numbers low, say 20-30 fish. I would hold off on stocking the HSB til probably the following spring. I would stock between 10 and 20 HSB.

If you do feed your fish, you can easily double the number of CC and HSB you stock and at least a 1/3 to a half more HBG, RES and LMB that you stock.

Best of luck!

CJBS, you are a wealth of information ! thank you . My goals are to have a balanced pond that i or guests can consistently catch 8" fish,,,,,,,, no trophy fish,, i go to canada for that,,,, What are RES ? i am learning acronyms but that one is beyond me. I wont be feeding them,, unless there is a floating bag method that i can hang every two weeks in the water,,,,,,

how quickly will RES populate?

Do I need structure for forage fish in my 1/4 acre pond?

RES = Redear Sunfish

FHM benefit from flat surfaces in shallow water as spawning structure, which can be done my placing pallets, boards, or PVC pipe split lengthwise into halves/thirds near the banks.

RES or redear sunfish do not spawn non stop from spring through summer like BG do, they only spawn once in the spring so they tend not to over populate. They should hold their own and do fine if you stock them in the fall and allow them one good spawn before you stock the bass. They probably will even get a second spawn before the bass get large enough to start feeding on them. You will want to stock another round of 50 LMB or so the following spring after the first stocking of LMB as the bass you initially stocked will not be large enough to spawn yet. Keep in mind, there will be little to no sunfish survival as the bass will eat the babies, so you will have to restock the sunfish, particularly the HBG. With this stocking method, you should have plenty of 10"-14" LMB and some nice 8"-10" HBG and 9"-12" RES. With you not feeding it will take 4-5 years for the sunfish to get to these sizes though.

Welcome BigFishingDaddy glad you found the site.

1 Always be careful when you see anything about sunfish from this crew( THEY MAY WANT YOU TO JOIN SOME KIND OF CLUB OR SOMETHING)

2 Do you have any room to enlarge your pond. Now is the time if you can.

RES in my pond spawn from spring through fall. ewest had an explanation for it but it isn't comming to me now. I used RES with SMB for the very reason CJBS stated so they wouldn't produce more than the SMB could control. Oh well....