Pond Boss Forums STOCKING A NEW POND Types of fish to choose Small pond on a creek needs fish?

Maybe no fish are necessary. Certainly not for fishing since there are numberless places to fulfill my fishing desires here in the neighborhood. So how do I know if adding fish will give any benefit at all? Still, I guess fish will enrich the biodiversity of the land and this is my ultimate hope. Does anyone know the ideal fish species to introduce in my specific conditions?


Western slope, Colorado
±5500 ft elev.
Dammed off section of small creek
Max depth 5 ft tapering over 120 ft to 0
Constant circulation
Open access to free flowing creek
Tree lined
Cattle
Hard freeze
No hard information of water quality

E. dB, I do some stocking in CO. The west slope has a lot of restrictions on what species can be stocked, especially with in-flow/out-flow. If you want to message me on your location, I can give you particulars on what can be stocked and what can't.
The Northern CO hatchery I work closely with does some stocking on the west slope and permits for some areas have to be obtained in advance.
Now, determining what needs to be done will require some sampling to include types of fish present and weights/lengths of those species to make a more educated decision on what needs to be adjusted to better meet your intended goals.

My non-expert advice: listen to Snipe's expert advice!

From a general perspective, what other fish besides trout or maybe char could he have in his pond considering the overall climate?


Is it too cold for SMB, YP, and Walleye?

Thank you
My creek seems unlikely habitat for much of Anything more than some kind of aquatic snail. The pond idea is meant to address this in part. And in my vision of things make up for the absence of beaver that must have been there at one point. I am one system removed from the Colorado where a big recovery effort is ongoing for some native (fish) species. In that light restrictions make sense. Still, I’d like to take responsibility for my little corner and the privileged access I have.
Snipe, up on the mesa the Forest Service does massive stocking ( trout types). I think very few of those lakes have surface connections leading to the rivers.

E.,

Your large native grass field looks to have a decent slope. The surface runoff from that field would provide good, clean water to a pond.

Do you know the average annual rainfall in your area? Or in your property records?

Sometimes it is easier to build a pond just out of the creek floodplain so you don't have to deal with the power of raging floodwaters trying to destroy your earthworks.

About 4” of rain annually so it means we are 99% reliant on the snow pack. I understand what you mean about floodwaters with a dam in their path. It’s a concern potentially. This could explain the placement of the first pond requiring a diversion but which failed. A new construction, even in a more suitable place though would be difficult so I stick with what’s established relying on the precedent.

What's the surface area of the pond? Sorry if I missed it.

4" of rain is tough to work with, but I did demonstrate my regional bias. I should have asked about total precipitation instead of rain!

I do like the idea of a diversion of the stream to create your pond. If that was not well constructed or well engineered the first time, then you might be able to get a decent pond this time by doing it right.

The good news about only 4" of rain, is that a big flood in your creek is not very likely. You just need to design for the maximum flow rate you experience at the peak of the spring melt.

How long have you lived on the property? Just asking, to see if you have a good gauge on how "sporty" your creek is likely to get.

And what is a "small" creek? Assuming it flows year round too?

These are good questions.

Well, I was playing around with maps today and surface area and come up with ca 0.025 acres.
To be clear, a relocation or new-build of any kind is not an option in part given the 2 decades drought in the area plus the outlook. No one is looking for additional uses for water or any kind of diversions from the drainage system in its decline. My neighbor recently moved in from Texas found out the hard way when the water warden came knocking. "You aren't in Texas any more", is what he got to hear. I myself am a recent transplant. More accurately in the process of transplanting from Holland. I'm back and fourth now since 2020 so am starting to get a feel for the water cycle.

The shots give an idea of low water years and about average. There's always some water even in dry years which I'm confident about. The Utes always say, "When the world burns - (sound familiar) - our mesa will float".

You're from Holland?

Holding back the sea is in your DNA. Taming a tiny creek will be no problem!

Per his location and adjacent drainage, SMB and WAE are not allowed but I'm researching this to help him figure out what we can do for him. I actually obtained my CO Aquaculture permit last fall so I could import AND export and one of the things I'm seeing addressed a LOT is the fact they do things very differently on the west side of the Rockies.
I know YP will do well at his elevation and WAE in his neck do well at 5k to 5500, but CO is a bit touchy on WAE.

Is there a water gate just to the left of where the stream goes out of view in the first picture? If so, someone has been diverting water. Water rights are frequently based on seniority, so who knows what the rules are on your property?

However, Rules #1 through #10 are don't violate the regulations in your jurisdiction.

Personally, in seasonally "water-starved" areas, I think gathering the spring rains/snow melt in a small pond and then releasing it as needed over the course of the year is better resource management. However, bureaucrats frequently disagree - typically on the grounds that evaporation from the pond results in less water moving through the system. Somehow, having 90% of the water leave the system by moving downstream over a three-week period in the spring does NOT get counted as an even greater loss.

I may have misinterpreted your original post. I thought you wanted to enhance or modify your creek and tiny pond and add some fish. If you want to leave everything pretty much "as is", then your fish options are certainly more limited.

I like having Gambusia (Western Mosquitofish) in my little creek. They are very hardy little fish that do well in streams and will chow down on your mosquito larva!

However, they are not native to the Western slope. You probably need to check the regulations to see if you could add them. They might survive a winter if you had a few deep pools in your creek. (Or even if there are some deep pools downstream. They will move back upstream in the spring when your creek starts flowing.)

Your creek does look big enough to me to already contain some fish. I think the best time to observe them is when the creek is barely flowing and most of the water is contained in a few pools. Sneak up on a small pool and watch quietly for a while. If you do observe some fish, then maybe you can deploy a minnow trap and sample your population. There are some experts on the forum that can help with the identifications.

Just throwing out some ideas for you!

Not from, but lived here 30 years. This is a return. It may be an irony but because the water conditions are necessarily so finely controlled and regulated it’s of little concern to me and I know hardly a thing, about it other than it is impressive and it works good. For example, if too many neighbors/landowners,(status counts, though few admit this), complain that the ground is drying out there are mechanisms for raising the level of the water table in an area.

My reasoning for even considering fish is from an ecological perspective. I want a pond for lumber treatment first and foremost, the fish and improved biodynamics are important but secondary. (And not doing any damage to the environment or my neighbors interests will guide any action ). That’s why mention of these minnow types is interesting. I can really see seeding the pond with something like that. Mosquito is never a problem at my elevation plus it’s dry.

About the scene in the picture, what’s shown is the culvert under the driveway. In fact, now I think of it for the first, this here spot also has potential for a possible pond site. In a way to restore a healthy riparian system, the more ponds the better, right?

A little understood reality that you got right.

I’m sorry, I was not responding correctly to this question. You are right, there is a gate there opening up to a small cement channel the next door neighbors use to get their adjudicated water up to a garden and lawn area. Probably dating to when they built a new house on their homestead land decades back now. They come from original settler stock and I wouldn’t know the relation of their priority to mine. Both are low numbers though meaning high priority. Sound confusing? It is.