Pond Boss Forums STOCKING A NEW POND Creating the food chain Minnow stocking in winter...

Pond is completed, and maybe 5-10% full. It'll end up 17 feet deep, @ 1.5 acres, but right now it's only about 4000 sq. feet & 5 feet deep.

I have maybe 1/2" of ice, and am wondering if I can but fatheads and cut a hole in the ice to stock them along with some food and let them go. Will they survive to spawn in spring???

Matt, Your impatience is like looking through my own rear view mirror.

I see nothing really wrong with tossing in a couple of pounds of fatheads. However, there is a catch. They may or may not live. You have just impounded rain water and will be getting a bunch more (hopefully). Water doesn't fall from the sky with proper alkilinity. It needs exposure to the soil. You can check your alkilinity to determine viability but you probably won't get much phytoplankton growth in winter under ice and snow. Even if you are relatively balanced now, a 3 inch rain will change the dynamics.

Bottom line: I think you will be wasting your money. Would I do it anyway? Damn right I would. I couldn't help myself.

Matt, I can think of or see no real benefit to putting in fatheads at this time (10%-20% full)& with thin ice cover. Wait till spring and there will be more natural food available for them. No minnow growth will occur during winter. The fish will be better off & and have more to eat if you stock them in spring as the water warms up to the 50F range.

What are you thinking the overall benefit will be to your putting some minnows in now?

matt, are you sure you aren't my twin, and we were separated at birth???!!! i tell ya, seeing your excitement and impatience reminds me of me when i was building my pond!!! in your other post, i can see you running around like a kid on christmas morning!!! when i had no more than a puddle in my pond, i put a paddle boat in it and then later made a few casts, without any fish in it...just to say i went fishing (casting) in my OWN pond!!! congrats, and keep on smiling!!!! (oh, if you want to keep that smile...don't forget to appease the house goddess every now and then!!!) mark

I am located in deep southwest georgia. From mid August to mid Nov. we started to catch a ton of 1/4-1/2 lb. bass in our pond. We typically always catch at least one 5 lb. plus bass every trip. During this time frame I have removed about 65 bass in the size range I previously mentioned. All were fat. I am planning on stocking threadfin shad in mid to late Feb.04 in this 15 year old 10 acre pond. There is already fathead minnows in the pond.I also plan on adding another 50 lbs. Typically, the zoo plankton starts to thrive in early Feb. The depths are mostly 4-6 feet, with 8-12 foot holes in various locations. I have been told that Feb. is the best time to stock the shad. Any comments? Is Bob Lusk in the house?

Thanks.

SS,
you are a little south of where I normally work, but we stock threadfin late March thru May. I would think you're better off to wait until early March when temps should be ideal for shad reproduction. ALso make sure you get sexually mature shad. Some hatcheries will have 8-12,000 in a load but their all 1/2-1 inch shad. I prefer to stock 3-5,000 1.5-2.5 inch adults in the spring so they pull off a spawn as quick as possible. What county you in?

I am in Baker county. Just south of Albany. I am trying to get info on planting rice for cover and feed for minnows, shad, crawfish, and other small fish. I have no idea if this doable or even a good idea. Any thoughts.