Pond Boss Forums STOCKING A NEW POND Types of fish to choose Forage species in Mid Atlantic/Northern State

I'm going to build a pond in Lewisburg WV. Primarily for LMB. First, Bob Lusk and I have talked and the plan is for him to be my consultant. So, many of these questions will get answered in time. However, I'm a sponge for knowledge now.
Lewisburg is at an elevation of 2000 ft in Southeastern WV. Due to the elevation, the climate is similar to southern PA or Ohio, etc... Not quite real Northern, but similar. I always read that Bluegill were the backbone of a LMB pond. But, I just read the recent PB issue and Bob said, " Bluegill are the backbone of the food chain for largemouth bass, except in Northern states". I thought bluegill were essentially the backbone in all climates, since many bluegill are very cold,tolerant. This confused me?
So here is my questions:
1. Is my climate and area truly Northern or am I kind of in the middle, definately not South?
2. Given this climate, is bluegill still going to be my backbone of,the food chain?
3. Since we do get snow. and freezing in winter, had 2 ft of snow 3 weeks ago, what are the other forage species that we should stock? I know species like thread fin Shad die in water that gets this cold and gizzard shad can be a problem If get too large for bass to eat?
4. What about crawfish as a secondary source, or are they just a quick snack?

I realize there will be a system to the stocking, i.e. forage stocked first, some time later the LMB, etc...

If Bob is going to be your consultant, you're gonna get the best advice out there. Before you can get, you'll need to provide a little more information about your pond. Size, average depth, maximum depth, do you plan to feed, do you plan to aerate? LMB are your main goal, do you solely want to focus on them or would you like some diversity?

T Watts,

(I apparently posted while CJBS was posting. He is another very trusted source here on the forum, and he knows the VA/WV/PA area very well.)

Welcome to Pond Boss.

Your most important idea is having Bob Lusk as your consultant. Bob is incredible. He is a close personal friend, and has spent a lot of time in WV.

1.Yes, we are more northern and southern.
2.Bluegill will be the backbone of a largemouth pond.
3.Forage will be bluegill.(A feeding program is very important).
4.I'd be very careful about selecting crawfish.

As of last Friday, we unfortunately lost our WV Aquaculture Extension Service. For about 20 years we had an incredible aquaculturist (Dr. Ken Semmens) who knew more about West Virginia private waters management and fisheries production than anyone. He was a casualty of budget cuts.

Since you are just starting out, please stay in very close contact with Bob Lusk. Keep in contact here on the Pond Boss forum.

I'm in the northern part of the state, so I can't suggest any good pond builders. Once you get your pond built, please heed advice here about stocking your pond. Better yet, please rely on Bob Lusk. Not all suppliers are created equal,and not all will provide stocking in your best interest.

If Bob Lusk should visit your property, I should be able to accompany him at no cost.

Regards,
Ken
Vice President, West Virginia Aquaculture Association

Check back in with Lusk about his comment of "" Bluegill are the backbone of the food chain for largemouth bass, except in Northern states"". Get a clarification of that quote. Where did it appear in the Jan-Feb issue so I can see if the quote was taken out of context?. I quickly looked and could not find the quote.

He says it on page 10, article "Building Your Strategy" in the most recent March/April issue. I have the digital addition. He also alludes to it again on page 19, but in a few different words....

cody note: Okay thanks you are quick reading the new issues - at this time I don't have my Mar-Apr 2015 issue. I will look for the info when I get my copy.

Thanks Bill. Just love reading the new issues!

Are you dead set on a LMB pond? The reason I ask is, being further north with 2000' elevation, your pond will likely be cooler and would support cool water species better like SMB, WE, HSB and YP.

PBoss Acronyms: http://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=92442#Post92442

I'm a large mouth bass guy. Really don't enjoy the other species.

Just expect slower and less impressive results but nice LMB can still be grown.

My brother and I are in the process of doing our research regarding the building of a pond in New York state. We are in a very Northern type climate, so we decided to go with smallmouth bass. Like you, we were originally largemouth guys, but a friend took us smallmouth fishing up in Maine one fall and we fell in love with them. It was a great experience and the thought of having a pond full of bronze footballs to catch is very enticing.

The nice thing about having a smallmouth pond is that you don't need to have bluegills in your pond. A species like the Pumpkinseed Sunfish might be a much better option. They will help to control snails, and mosquitoes in your pond, and they aren't the reproductive machine that the bluegill is. Their size stays much more within the realm of viable smallmouth forage, which is another benefit.

Bluntnose Minnows, Golden Shiners, Killies, Crayfish, Grass Shrimp, and maybe some other kind of minnow or shiner that I am not familiar with are really all that you would need besides your smallies.

This leaves a greater percentage of the biomass of the pond to support to the growth of your main predatory fish.

These are just things to consider. I am not trying to tell you what to do with your pond. These are just things that we considered when making the decision about our own pond.

Good luck with everything.

You might want to consider yellow perch in addition to PS. A high density of SMB can put significant pressure on YP. SMB will be more of a high quality large bass fishery if you feed them high protein fish pellets. Check with Hicklings or Schultz in NY for availability of pellet raised SMB. When ready for stockers you may have to place an advanced custom order for them due to availability.
http://www.hicklingsfishfarm.com/
http://www.buybass.com/

I am just worried about the high reproduction of yellow perch and their tendency to eat lots of little fish when they get a little bigger.

I would prefer to not feed artificial food to the fish if I can get away with it. I know that it is a huge help in making trophy fish, but I'm not sure that I want to do it.