I am completing a deep, 7+ acre pond and will very soon start on a second pond on the same property. The second pond will be very different as it will entail building a dam across a heavily oaked creek that runs for a half mile on my property. I plan to back it up to the edge of my property and flood whatever I have to flood to accomplish that. The first pond may take two or three years to fill, depending on weather. The dammed creek will likely fill with the first good rain. So the second pond will likely be ready to stock before the first.

I am planning to stock shiner minnows and hybrid giant bream with the thought that there might be something for the nephews to start fishing for within a year or so. Bass, the real object of all this, would be stocked much later.

My brother and I are great fans of the noble goggle-eye perch, which I understand is also called a green sunfish. But they are widely disparaged in this forum, and it has not been made clear to me why. They are aggressive, good eating, and their big mouths enable them to hit artificials that the bluegill cannot attack. Is that big mouth the problem? Do they eat up the forage fish?

Any suggestions on species and timing for new ponds in SW Oklahoma would be appreciated. Regards, Tom