What a fascinating collection of information this place has. I've spent hours reading here over the last few weeks.
I'm building an approximately 2-acre lake next to my house in north-central Missouri. It will have about an acre of open water above the dam, with relatively steep sides dropping off to a meadow. Over the meadow, the open water will range from 10-12 feet deep. The lake will also have an acre or more of dense, flooded hardwoods and cedars, running up two long draws out of the meadow.
The pond builder assures me that it should be a clear-water pond. Other ponds around here are generally clear.
He's already cleared the area for the dam, which he'll build with clay off a nearby hillside at the end of July. The lake's floor will be clay as well. I'm going to build a couple of rock piles and put down a long strip of pea gravel on one of the banks.
I plan on adding FH, GSH and papershell crayfish this fall, as soon as there's enough water in the lake. Next March, I'll add RES and BG.
That's the easy part.
But what should I do once the lake is swarming with baitfish?
In my imagination, the lake will hold EVERYTHING: lunker F1 bass, eating-size WE and YP, a school of a couple dozen HSB, and enough CC to produce a couple of good meals every year. I've even thought about adding a couple of tiger muskies, just for grins.
So what would be a realistic plan for the lake? LMB are essential. What combinations of other fish could I reasonably consider?
The standard stocking configuration around here is LMB, BG, CC. That's what the MDC recommends. I'd really like to punch that up a bit.
