Pond Boss Forums STOCKING A NEW POND Types of fish to choose help stocking SE Nebraska pond

First of all I'd like to say I got some great ideas from the forum on building structure. Now a little background about the pond that was built. Construction was finished last July and structure was added in the summer/fall. When full, it will be about 4 acres with a max depth of 16 feet. It is spring fed and had a constant flow of water even this last summer when there wasnt much rain. The main goal of the pond is for big LMB and BG for the kiddos to catch. Not a big fan of catfish so I dont want any of them in there. Also thinking of tossing in some yellow perch and walleye as an experiment and see how they do. Planning on feeding and still need to figure out what to do for aeration. As of today its about 1/3 full and slowly rising. So far only FHM have been put in - about 35lbs last September. Its early spring now - which brings me to my stocking questions: 1) should I add GSH (golden shiners) if so how many and when? 2) When to add BG and RES (planning on a 800BG/200RES ratio per acre) 3) When to add LMB and how many? 4) When to add the yellow perch and Walleye if im going to? 5) Should grass carp be stocked? Thanks, any help would be appreciated.

Welcome Rhino! I'm building a pond in Spingfield, NE so not far from you. Sounds like you have done your research and are certainly headed in the right direction. You've definitely found the right place to help finish the job.

1. With largemouth bass, it is certainly safe to add golden shiners. Will only help that forage base for those bass, especially early on. The bass will clean them up, much like the fatheads, but they should last a little longer for you.

2. You don't want your bluegill to get too much of a head start, but you do want to make sure their population is established prior to introducing your largemouth. I honestly wouldn't put too much time in between stocking your bluegill and your bass. Possibly just a single spring. Wait as long as you like to let the fatheads and shiners do their thing.

3. Let a largemouth bass expert answer this one, but for our region, I'd refer to my suggestion above. Don't stock them too long after your bluegill. I suppose if large bass is your primary goal, that time frame between stocking bluegill and bass could be expanded.

4. If you were going to add yellow perch, you'll need plenty of vegetative cover for them to evade largemouth bass predation. Without, the bass will clean them up and probably pretty quickly. No harm can be done by adding walleye however, a mistake often made is adding walleye that are bite size for bass. Either add advanced sizes so they are not expensive food for your bass or grow them out in cages. Downside to growing them out in cages is they do tend to be slow growers and obviously thrive more in open water.

5. I'd wait on grass carp and see how your vegetation sets up for you. No need to rush something not needed at the moment. If something becomes a problem later on, certainly add as many as you need.

Welcome again Rhino. Very cool having another Nebraskan here. We have quite the contingency and I think you'll learn a lot, just like we have.

Thx for the quick reply Omaha. I have a rough plan I was just hoping to see what all the experts thought. Im leaning toward just putting in the GSH this spring and letting all the FH and GSH multiply this year as the pond fills, then next spring put in the BG/RES. Would there be any consequences to waiting and giving the FH & GSM a head start? Also you mentioned adding LMB not too long after the BG. What is the potential harm in waiting? Then I was thinking of adding LMB a year after BG/RES. So the rough plan is...

FHM fall 2012
GSH spring 2013 (how many though?)
BG/RES spring 2014
LMB spring 2015 (or would fall 2014 be better?)
not sure when Id add YP and WE if im going to?

I don't think there is any drawback to waiting however long you're capable of waiting to let the fatheads and golden shiners to multiply before stocking your predators.

I mention the window of time between stocking bluegill and bass based on the bluegill's tendencies to get out of hand. But if your ultimate goal is large bass, that might just be exactly what you want them to do. They will not have the size of the bluegill and redears you see here on this forum, but your bass will have much more to eat. The kids should still have plenty of bluegill to catch, however, they will most likely be on the small side. Could wait for others to chime in and confirm this though.

Not sure about quantity of golden shiners commonly suggested. I don't believe it's an exact number, though, since the bass will likely hammer them into extinction over time. So I don't think you can make a mistake one way or the other.

I would think stocking your bass in the spring so they can get a solid season's headstart on that forage base would be a better idea than stocking them in the fall and having them go through a winter shortly after.

Again, yellow perch will need plenty of vegetative cover to avoid the bass. And walleye will need to be stocked in a way that they're not preyed upon either.

Rhino welcome to PondBoss.

Sounds like to me you are being outside of the norm and being patient with fish stocking. I will basically second what Omaha says. I am not an experienced pond meister. I have been an expert on buying fish and turning them loose, but have not had time to come to fruition on the success of my stocking.

As far as the GSH are concerned get them in now. The FHM and GSH without predators are going to reproduce like nothing you've ever seen.

I have a small pond that I threw 10 lbs of fatheads and 10 lbs of shiners in. I put them in in June( approx. a 3/4 acre pond). I would occasionally throw some cheap feed out, and never saw them feed. Maybe once in a while I would see some feeding after a couple of months. The following year wow.there were more freakin minnows than I could believe.

I believe it was Bill Cody said in reference to abundant breeders in small impoundments, that your pond will be at capacity within 2 years. I agree with him. Get the shiners in now, and I would say you could probably add the sunfishes this coming fall if you chose.

Diligently check prices in relationship to size/ season.You can run across some wonderful buys, especially in dryer years, as people are not stocking because their ponds are drying up.Last fall I got some extraordinary YP. I read between the lines and the YP suppliers had a glut of YP due to the drought.I ordered 4-6" YP at $1.25, and got alot of that size, but also a bunch of YP 8-9-10" long.Many times when buying springtime fish, you are buying last years leftovers. Like fried rice at the chinese buffet.Just check with suppliers early in the season. As far as ratios of bass/bluegill stocking I can only parrot what others have said on here.

IMO if you're not into catfish, wise decision on not installing them. I have some in my bigger pond, and try to get them eradicated through angling. Some are pretty fair size, and believe I witnessed predation by CC of my fingerling WE's.

That's also something to think about with ol Mr Large Mouth Bass. He will be the king of the jungle.

Just wanting to add this. You're pond is a blank canvas, and it's so easy to get fish in and difficult to get them out. I envy your current situation personally, and I am presently living vicariously through you and your venture. That is why I am typing this, and hope I do not come across as trying to tell you what to do with your pond.

I dont know how dead set you are at throwing the LMB into your water,but in my opinion, it seems as if with the curiosity about the WE and YP, that you are being inclined to think outside of the box.

I see the LMB being a bit of a limiting factor of the success of the other out of the box species. Ever think about the WE,YP, maybe Small mouth and Hybrid stripers? Remember you can always put the LMB in at anytime if you become discouraged with the other formulas.

I can only say thats what I would love to do, but I dont have the nads to drain my pond and start over.

Just some thoughts and good luck sir!

Yes, I am trying to think outside the box a bit and and not 100% set on the LMB. Like you said, they can always be put in later as they would be the "King" of predator fish.

In fact I am seriously considering the YP/WE combo to see how it does. This is why I am reluctant to start tossing in GSH yet. If Im not doing the LMB I dont want a bunch of GSH bait stealers that my other predators cant eat b/c they got too much of a head start. Also, Im not so sure I have great structure/habitat for SMB.

Where are you guys buying your fish from?

You have clearly done your research Rhino. Kudos to you sir!

What habitat do you currently have in the pond?

A number of pond owners in our area get their fish from Rob Hofpar of Nebraska Lakes Management. (888) 850-2460

I've never personally done business with him, but know plenty of people who have and he has a quality reputation.

Hey Rhino, send Bruce Condello a private message. He was telling me a couple of weeks ago about some outstanding YP. He told me the name but it escapes me.I know what part of the country theyre from though. From what I heard it made me wish I hadnt bought my YP yet. Also TeeJaeh has had some outstanding success with WE and SMB, right in your neighborhood.

Also my supplier is not an advertiser on here, and not that I woulnt recomend them, I think you can find a superior supplier in your neck of the woods.

I agree with you, the less species you can get by with always leaves future options open.

Rhino, what part of SE Nebraska are you? If you were to consider the walleye/yellow perch route, a few of us are getting into alternative forage options that might benefit you.

pond is near Falls City

Ill post some pics of the structure/pond when I get a chance