Pond Boss Forums STOCKING A NEW POND Types of fish to choose New Pond NE Indiana- suggestions

I had a pond dug behind my house last fall. It will be approx 1.5acres when full and is about 1/3 full at this point. The water level has not came up much this spring yet since the snow melted, so I am a bit skeptical if it is going to completely fill this year. I am looking for suggestions on the timing for beginning to stock it. I am pretty busy and will not have a lot of time to 'manage' the fish population, but I absolutely do not want it overpopulated with BG's. I am thinking I want a typical LMB, BG and catfish pond. I also want bullfrogs to gig. So, reading some other posts on stocking, and I have not read a ton of them being somewhat new, it seems that putting some FHM's in before putting the BG's, LMB and cats in is suggested? Also curious to know when the best time to put the tadpole/frogs in in relation to the fish as well where the water level needs to be to put anything in ? I am guessing I could start now, but would like to get some opinions/suggestions. When full, it will be ~18-20' at the deep end. Also curious to know where in NE Indiana is a good place to get fish to stock my pond. It seems that the Hybird BG and LMB are the way to go, but again I am open for suggestions.
Thanks- Travis

Being from NE IN you'll appreciate "welcome to the jungle". The sooner you start the forage the better. Build a heavy food supply and you'll build bigger predators sooner. Put the tads in as soon as possible cause once ya get CC and LMB they will eat em as soon as they turn into little frogs. I'm not educated enough to give too much advice but soon the large brains will jump in. Best of luck and enjoy building your dream pond.

Welcome to the forum. If you can tell me where you're located I can best direct you to some fish sources and who to avoid. There's one in northwest Ohio I tell everyone to avoid as he's got a screw loose. Had me dry 2 1/2 hours to his place to pick up fish and told me to leave with no reason given.

If you're rather P.M. with your location me that's fine. I'm located in Noble County. I know of two fathead minnow wholesalers and it depends on where you're at whom is closer. Whatever you do check each minnow before you put it in to make there are no green sunfish, bullhead, or sticklebacks mixed in.

It would be best to plant fatheads first and get them reproducing for the year to give the bass you add later a jump start when you add them either this fall or the following spring. You will get more input from others here.

One downside to the hybrid bluegill is they tend to be mostly males and don't provide a lot of forage for bass if you want nice bass.

Don't worry too much about your pond filling up. This is a good time of year to get thunderstorms and it could fill in one day! Been there done that!

Is your water muddy? If so I would wait to add the fatheads.

Bob you done good! Just took me longer to type it so your post showed up first! You said it more succinctly!

Btw I never added frogs to my ponds. They came on their own.

I am in the very NE corner of Allen Co. off 101 (about 10 minutes South of Bob-o).

The water is not too muddy, so I think I will might try to put some fat heads and frogs in soon? Recommendations on where to get them is appreciated.

Welcome to PBF.

I put FHM and BG in my pond when it was about a third full in late March of last year. Pond got additional water as spring rains came along and the fish did really well with reproduction. I then added the CC and LMB in the fall.

What's more important to you for your pond? Frogs or LMB?

Have you given any though to a HBG/HSB pond with CC? Maybe some YP thrown in the mix?

Will you be feeding the fish?

Will you have plenty of shallow, weedy areas for the frogs?

Why thank you Cecil, a compliment from you is as good as an a** chewing from Cody. Why the concern about putting FH into muddy water? My pond is going on 7 yrs old and has always been real muddy water and the FH and SFS did very well. Probably cause I put in lots of reproduction facilities. Hopefully Bill will post a pic of his newest type.
Also if you would, I need your address in a pm or if it's on your website put it on here so Travis can see some of your stunted YP, Bardello BG and Trout.

Cecil, just reread your compliment and am wondering what ya mean when ya say I "said it more suckily"?

My condolences you are so close to Bob of O not to be confused with the Story of O.



If it's not too muddy you should be good. I think your closest source for fatheads wholesale would be Meyer's on old 27 north of Auburn just north of Pleasant Lake. You should be able to find the number on the Internet but if you can't let me know.

Succinctly suckily whatever.

I knew a guy that planted fish in a muddy pond and they all disappeared. Granted they were smallmouth bass but it still makes me leary to plant fish in very turbid water.

Bob,

My server made some changes and wiped out my website.

My address is 4700 N U.S. HWY 33, Ligonier, IN 46767.

If you are using FHM then you want spawning devices or structure for them to be able to spawn at current water depth and increasing water depths. I suggest floating boards or cedar shingles tacked to a rope. Move the tethered rope up as water level rises. Males will use the shingles as spawn sites. Until the pond fills focus on adding large rip-rap at the anticipated waterline for future rocky habitat and spawn sites for appropriate species.

While the pond fills up, you may want to do a lot more fish homework before stocking the sport fish and rethink your goals. To get bass to grow big you will need abundant forage that grows bigger than FHM. Consider adding GSH which will grow larger as a bass forage fish 8"-11". Add them and appropriate spawning substrate when adding FHM. Remember FHM are only for growing bass to 10"-11" long and then the bass need to eat some other type of food. Larger bass do not gain weight chasing small FHM all day.

Frog tadpoles esp bullfrog will not survive with a strong bass population. Bass don't like tadpoles but will readily eat the slow swimming morsels. To grow enough frog for harvest you will need a shallow weedy area to provide refuge for tadpoles and adult frogs - a wetland type area attached to the pond or an area with lots of emergent vegetation such as bulrush, iris, pickerel weed - typical frog habitat. Think about what frog ponds normally look like. Clean shoreline ponds do not grow a lot of frogs esp if bass are present. Perch and Walleye do not eat tadpoles or only very rarely thus one gets a lot of frogs.

I may feed them some, would prefer to not have to feed them on a regular basis, would kind of like to feed as a novelty for my kids and visitors. Would like the pond to have enough forage to sustain the fish without feeding them.

There will be plenty of shallow area, with the expectation that weeds will develop. I actually wouldn't mind having some cat tails along an area of one of the shorelines.

HBG/HSB and CC is defiantly a very viable option…not at all opposed to that combo and some YP. Is that combination less of a threat to frogs ?

Concerning rip rap for the shore line - has anyone (up here in NE IN) ever used slag from SDI for their shoreline? It is very economical, but I am unsure if it would have ill effects on the BOW and or the fish ??

Thanks for all the inputs.

HBG-HSB-CC should allow more tadpoles to survive than if LMB were the main predator.
for rip-rap, IMO broken concrete is a safer option compared slag which could have impurities from smelting. Contract some local concrete contractors to see if you can get surplus broken waste concrete removed from work sites.

If they aren't fed on a consistent basis, I don't know how long they will stay "feed trained".



I had a friend say that exact same thing. 2 years later he was tired of constantly pulling out volunteers in the areas where he didn't want them. Next time I saw him he said "O.K. What do I have to do to kill them all? I don't have time for the constant preventative maintenance."



Yes. The HBG will eat smaller frogs, same as a 6"-8" LMB will, but most of the adults will be safe, depending on how large you let the CC get.



Not that I know of. What impurities will wash out of it?

Anyone familiar with Jonesfish.com and the Midwestern stocking package they have ? Not sure I want all that they have on this package, but curious to know if their fish are quality and their reputation ?

I have had good luck with Jones, but I suggest that you not get your stocking recommendations from someone that sells you fish. I have learned that you will get far better results by consulting the experts on this site. I went with the "standard package" on my first pond, but am taking a staged approach with my second, starting with building a forage base. If you want large predators like LMB, they need to eat well when they are young, or they will never reach trophy size. What are you looking for out of your fish?

X2!

I would also add not to be in a hurry. I've seen mistakes made in haste.

Be patient and get your fatheads going first to jumpstart your bass. Then add your your bass and bluegill or other fish.

As I said in a previous post you have a fathead supplier just northwest of you near Pleasant Lake. Just bring some 5 gallon buckets and they will put them in oxygen bags. Call ahead. Meyer's Fish Farm. (260) 475-5765

Just make sure you cull out any green sunfish, bullheads, and sticklebacks before you put them into the pond!

Travis, if you do business with Meyers be sure to make arrangements to have the guy that owns it be there to get your fish. I once got FH from them and the two women didn't know how to put Oxygen in the
bags, which I had to ask them to do.
Ask Bill Cody how well his windmill aerator works. Bout as reliable as the wind. He can advise you on building a nice set up for pretty affordable.

Bob,

Yes I called ahead to make sure he was there. He is on the road at times delivering to bait stores.

Btw I never added frogs to my ponds. They came on their own. [/quote]

My pond has not filled much (if any) since the first of May (I am actually adding water from my well) but it seems that the frogs have come on their own. Appears to be a ton of tadpoles where the current shoreline is at.

I am going to try and get some fatheads this weekend from Meyers to get the forage base going for the 'real' fish. Probably looking at adding them next spring based on the water level at this point and the hot dry months approaching. If the water level is not near full pool by this fall, would it hurt to add game fish. Seems like it wouldn't, but may be best to wait and research more to avoid having regrets? I defiantly want Catfish, so maybe I put them in this fall? Suggestions?

Travis,

Don't lose hope. You can get some serious fill up from just one gully washer thunderstorm.

Get some structure in there Travis.... Gives all of the fry a chance for a while. If you can, get your dock in before your water is to high .