Pond Boss Forums STOCKING A NEW POND Types of fish to choose stocking rate

I have a empty pond and would like the option on rates for YP redbreast sunfish RES SMB WE CC

Good sounding stocking plan species wise. To make appropriate stocking plan need to know:

BOW acres?
Depth?
Age?
Water level fluctuations during year, or reliable water source [watershed, well irrigation, etc.]?
What are your goals? Trophy SMB, harvest panfish, etc.

6 year old pond already been cleaned out. 5 acre max depth at 14 feet as that was the deepest legal dam in NC

I always have had at least 12 feet after first year my goal is at least 3 lb SMB and nice walleye. With few pan fish harvest.

YP redbreast sunfish RES SMB WE CC
Here are some suggestions - depending on budget you can pump up forage base numbers significantly. This would be my minimal route if facing budget constraints.

Summer/Fall 2014

Stock forage base, consider which species.

FHM - 1-5 lbs/ac

BNM [bluntnose] - 1-5 lbs/ac

Native, non burrowing Crayfish - 100/ac

SFS [spotfin shiner] or GSH [golden shiner] - 100-250/ac

Spring/Summer 2015

100-250 2-4" RES/ac

500 2-4" RBS/ac [? - no experience with this sunfish species - Cody or Travis can help direct you]

Fall 2015

100-200 4-8" YP/ac

50 6-8" SMB/ac [ladder stock potentially depending on recruitment, growth, harvest]

25 6-8" WE/ac [ladder stock annually depending on growth and harvest]

25-50 CC/ac - put and take fishery - harvest all caught or will become hookshy/uncatchable. Supplementally stock as necessary depending on harvest numbers.

You can bump numbers depending on goals, but this is a good template to follow.

Thank u

And if the cc spawn? I had them in my quarter acre pond before I put trout in and they used large rocks underside to spawn. I got them all out.

The CC won't likely spawn without cavities in which to bed. Avoid use of tires, buckets, or culverts and you should be fine.

If harvesting CC isn't one of your goals, I'd reconsider stocking them at all.