Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Evaluating and adjusting fish populations Restocking Question

I live on the front range in northern CO and live in an area with 5 private lakes/ponds. They all have aeration systems. All of the them have carp and have been stocked with LMB, crappie, catfish and some have walleye and wipers in them. There seems to be a healthy shad and perch population as well.

The pond directly behind my house has what appears to be great habitat, its deep and has some structure around an island in the center of it and my neighbors knew a plumber that liked to fish and they sunk probably 50 toilets in one area. It has some trees along the west side of the pond and I would guess its 7 acres or so. It used to be fantastic fishing until 4 years ago when the lake stayed frozen much longer than usual and there was a big die off. I know there are carp in there as I see them jumping in the evenings. I caught about 50 crappie one day in another one of the lakes and put them in the one behind our house and my neighbors have put in a dozen or so LMB that range from half a pound to about 2 1/2 lbs.

My question is whether or not it could be beneficial to transplant more LMB from one lake to this one. They will spawn in May and right now we are catching quite a few. Its literally a 40 yard walk to catch them in the lake thats full of fish and put them in the lake behind my house. The developer said he doesnt have a problem with us restocking one lake from another lake so that isnt a concern. I just dont want to do anything that would harm the LMB and dont want to waste my time if we wont end up seeing results down the road.

If we put 50 or so LMB in the lake with some large females before they spawn will they make beds in the new lake?

Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I will post pictures of the pond tomorrow

Hey Huntsonora Welcome to PB! Posting some pics is always great but the experts are sure to ask questions regarding age of pond, details about ponds topography and structure and most importantly a good assessment of the ponds current fish makeup and biomass. Like you, I am more apt to ask a question than answer one. You have found an invaluable resource...stay tuned for some excellent dialogue!
Now...let's talk about those 50 toilets! Were they just randomly thrown in or piled in mounds?,placed in rows?, geometric shapes?? Were the seats, lids and tanks attached or removed? Are they in deep water or shallow? Can you see them from the surface? Have you tried to catch Catfish around them?

Welcome to the forum...

It's hard to give good advice with minimal information. A survey of the present fish community is often advised before giving advice.

I would strongly recommend you reading into the archives of this forum. There is an amazing amount of information in here. Strongly look at crappies and their downsides when stocked in ponds. Look for threads on LMB and their tendency to over populate and stunt in ponds.

I think many of your questions will be answered. If you need help using the search function, just ask and we'll assist.

Gee, if I were in Colorado, I would lean toward trout and/or walleye. I am not sure how they might coexist.

I understand completely! I simply dont know whats in the pond right now except for the carp, some crappie and a few LMB. Thats all I know thats a certainty.

I will go out and get pictures here in a little bit, its been raining and snowing this morning.

Thanks for the response guys, this is a great forum! I have enjoyed looking through the pages.