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Hi everybody. What a great site! I would like to get some advice on stocking my new pond!
It is located in SW Missouri. The pond is spring fed, 10' deep and is about 1/2 acre in size. However, it does back up into a creek about 2' deep and 10' wide and is about 300 feet long.
The pond only took 3 days to fill with no rainfall so the spring is awesome.
I would like to put LMB, and some type of pan fish in, BG?, Hybrid Green Perch?, possibly crappie?, and maybe trout??? I know the trout are a risk with temps reaching over 100 but the spring is so good and cold, I'd like to try!
Thoughts?? I would appreciate the help.
Thanks!!

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I would go with BG and LMB. Avoid crappie as they are hard to control.

Contact Shawn Banks of Midwest Lake Management.

Email: pondrx@midwestlake.com
Homepage: http://www.midwestlake.com

He is in your area and may be able to help you out.

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With that much water available is there any way that you could enlarge that pond?

1/2 an acre can be tough to manage because it can become over populated in a hurry if you don't stay on top of things.

Fathead Minnows
Golden Shiners
Lake Chubsuckers
Mississippi Grass Shrimp
Papershell Crayfish

Those are a good start to your food chain with, no matter what else you end up stocking.

If your pond stays cold you could consider smallmouth instead of largemouth. In which case, you would want to stay away from bluegill. Something that reproduces a little less voraciously would be a better choice.

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With a spring having that much flow, trout is an option for you as are yellow perch and other cold water species.



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smhog Offline OP
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Great I will call him.

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Thanks for the info. I would love to make the pond bigger, but the cost is an issue right now.
When you say it is hard to manage a small pond, what exactly do you mean?

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smhog Offline OP
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What happens to an over populated pond

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In smaller ponds, managing a typical LMB/BG fish combination can be difficult. You are limited to about 50 pounds of total bass. Doesn't leave much room to grow very many decent bass. Or you just end up with many stunted small bass. In smaller ponds, you can often produce a good sunfish fishery by allowing your bass to stunt which in turn controlled most of the sunfish reproduction meaning the remaining sunfish grow fast and larger. Sunfish being BG and RES.

In ponds less than 1 acre, I prefer put and take fishery based on HBG/HSB/CC. With a feeding program and aeration you can really produce some high quality fish in good numbers. With this combo, there is no reason you couldn't add some trout and see if they'd make it through the summer. If not, you can still stock them in the fall and harvest them in the spring before the temps get too high...

Check out the forum, the HBG/HSB/CC combo has been mentioned many times before.

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You also have one of the top trout hatcheries in the nation near your pond in Ava, Missouri.



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If the spring flow is cold and the volume is decent, if you decide against the HBG/HSB/CC fishery, you may want to consider a SMB as opposed to LMB fishery. Instead of BG, stock YP. You can then add a few WE and/or HSB as bonus fish. These fish would do far better in cooler waters as opposed to LMB/BG.

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Originally Posted By: CJBS2003
If the spring flow is cold and the volume is decent, if you decide against the HBG/HSB/CC fishery, you may want to consider a SMB as opposed to LMB fishery. Instead of BG, stock YP. You can then add a few WE and/or HSB as bonus fish. These fish would do far better in cooler waters as opposed to LMB/BG.


Those were pretty much my thoughts. I would probably skip the walleye and the hybrid sripers though. I wouldn't want a 15 pound monster walleye or whiper snacking on my one and two pound smallmouth. That would not make me happy.

With 100 yards of "creek" feeding from the spring to the pond you could try establish certain creek species of chubs or darters or whatever you like to add to the food chain. It may work in your situation.

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If you went with a trout, SMB, YP pond, you would need some Golden Shiners as a main forage base along with native crayfish which could be sourced in local cool water creeks along with plenty of rock for the craw habitat and SMB spawning...given enough flow and some creek gravel, you might even pull off a trout spawn. If going with a YP/SMB option, you would need some walleye to control the YP.

Many possibilities to consider...all fun!!



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In a smaller pound, I wouldn't worry very much about a 15 pound WE or HSB, highly unlikely you're going to grow a HSB that big and definitely not a WE.

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Lots to think about. The feeding program is going to be tough because I live several hours away from the property.
Rainman, you mentioned a good fishery close by? Do you have the name of them or some contact info?
Looks like I had better look into making the pond bigger! Thanks guys.

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Marvin Emmerson...I use this supplier exclusively when I get trout orders...just no finer trout out there IMO http://www.crystallakefisheries.com/



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Thanks. I think I am going to talk to the contractor about enlarging the pond. I will let you all know what happens. Thanks again.

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UPDATE***
We recently enlarged the pond to about an acre and a half. 2/3 of the pond is 2-4 ft deep and the rest is 4-12 ( very little of the pond is 10-12 ft)
Stocked with 10 lbs of minnows about 3 months ago. Lots of crawdads in the pond already.

Looking forward to stocking in the fall and still havent decided which route to go. I like the idea of HBG. Dumb question .. what is a CC?

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www.hoosierpondpros.com


http://www.pondboss.com/subscribe.asp?c=4
3/4 to 1 1/4 ac pond LMB, SMB, PS, BG, RES, CC, YP, Bardello BG, (RBT & Blue Tilapia - seasonal).
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Originally Posted By: smhog
UPDATE***
We recently enlarged the pond to about an acre and a half.



With all of the water you have available I would make the pond as big as possible. A bigger pond is going to make a better fishery. I don't know if you have more room for expansion, but bigger is better up to a certain point.

Think about your forage production just like you do your gamefish. If you put a lot of time and effort into making spawning structure, cover, feeding areas, and area where forage can live and grow, you will do your pond a HUGE favor.


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If you decide to pursue the put and take combination, (HBG, HSB, and CC), I wouldn't worry to much about spawning areas, cover, or protecting your forage. What little forage the HBG will produce doesn't need any hiding spots....quite the opposite.

I would concentrate my efforts towards establishing a good feeding program.

Last edited by sprkplug; 08/08/12 02:28 PM. Reason: add feeding program.

"Forget pounds and ounces, I'm figuring displacement!"

If we accept that: MBG(+)FGSF(=)HBG(F1)
And we surmise that: BG(>)HBG(F1) while GSF(<)HBG(F1)
Would it hold true that: HBG(F1)(+)AM500(x)q.d.(=)1.5lbGRWT?
PB answer: It depends.
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What about a put-and-take fishery for trout? If you feed pellets (you can buy automated feeders since you don't live on-site) and your summer temperatures don't get too warm you could have a lot of fun. Much easier to manage.

Last edited by Bocomo; 08/08/12 08:08 PM.
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IMO that pond is screaming smb, yp, we, hsb, and trout.....you are very fortunate having that type of scenario for your pond

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Originally Posted By: ozarkstriperscom
IMO that pond is screaming smb, yp, we, hsb, and trout.....you are very fortunate having that type of scenario for your pond


Um....+1,000,000! Great call OZ. Don't forget our friends RES or maybe HBG if you want a panfish species to target. I think both are a very low impact fish, and neither will overpopulate in that scenario. Sure the HBG will compete for forage, but if you're supplementing with feeding program you can clear that hurdle. I think a permanent forage species is important though - either Golden Shiner or more desirable would be a Spotfin Shiner or one of the other species with which Bill and Travis can describe.


Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after. ~ Henry David Thoreau

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UPDATE!!! Just my luck the year I buy ground in Missouri they have the worst drought in 50 years! I guess we faired better than most... I only lost a little over a foot of depth. With last weeks rain we are back to almost full again.
I maxed out the size of the pond while it was dry to right at an acre. We confirmed while swimming in the deep part that the water is COLD. I dont know what the temp is but when you swim down towards the bottom it'll take your breath away. Will SMB, and Trout go deep for the cold water?

MoRE ADviCE PLEAse..... I appreciate all the comments and suggestions on what to stock. I would like to get your opinion and narrow this down so I can order some fish. My main goals are 1. maintaining a clean, clear pond as much as possible. (CC will muddy things up I assume) 2. I want to be able to harvest the fish for eating on a regular basis,... so is overpopulating a concern??? 3. Enjoy catching them! The HBG sound great but they dont reproduce right? SMB sound fun too... can they be in with LMB?

Sorry for asking again... I just want to do this right the first time!
Thanks!

Last edited by smhog; 09/04/12 10:29 AM.
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LMB and SMB cannot coexist in a pond as the LMB will outcompete the SMB.

My advice:
1) Decide between LMB or SMB before you do anything else. If you go LMB and change your mind you have to kill everything in the pond to switch to SMB. Both will require different forage fish so make that decision first.

2) Once you have made your decision come up with a forage stocking plan and stock your forage. Wait as long as possible before adding your predators (bass/trout/walleye/hsb). I am preparing a pond for YP and SMB, I started stocking forage in March but I will let this pond "marinate" until Fall of 2013 before adding any predators. I want to be sure that all stocked forage species get firmly established before a whirlwind of predation comes down on them. I want to have a good population of breeder sized shiners/darters/killifish/RES/minnows that can withstand bass predation enough to keep breeding. If you are leaning the SMB route talk to CJBS2003 about getting some non-traditional forage going.

3) Come up with a feeding plan. You do not need to be on the property daily in order to do this. Texas Hunter feeders are almost maintenance-free and my 125lb capacity unit once filled with feed can last 3-4 weeks without being filled again (depending on how often and how long your feeders go off daily this will vary). Your forage (and predators) will grow MUCH faster with a feeding plan.

4) Consider aeration. If there is no electricity near your pond then this might not be feasible but if it is feasible it will make your pond far more productive than a non-aerated pond. If this spring moves enough water it might not be necessary but there are others on this site that will be able to tell you more than I can.

5) Get some beneficial vegetation established. This sounds easier than it actually is. I have made three attempts at establishing eelgrass in my pond and I am only just now getting some established. Vegetation provides breeding grounds for forage and hiding places for predators. Look into hybrid water lillies, they are easy to plant and look great. I will not be adding predators until I have enough vegetation established.

6) (This should probably be #1) Get some cover and structure established in that pond ASAP! If you want SMB get some rocky structure and/or spawning beds set up ( http://www.helpourfisheries.com/how_to_build_a_nest.htm ). PVC fish structures like the porcupine fish attractor work quite well and are easy to put together. Get creative and look through the forums to find ideas you can put into your pond. You will need some wood pallets (weighted down with rocks) in the shallow areas as spawning grounds for your forage.

The most important thing is to have a plan. If you try to do this without a plan you will have regrets. I can say from experience that watching a pond plan come to fruition is incredibly satisfying! This is the BEST resource on the internet, use it, ask questions, do research, and you will reap the benefits.


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