First off, thank you to pond boss for a great site with a wealth of information.
I recently finished construction on my pond. I live in Fluvanna county , VA in between Richmond and Charlotesville. It is approx 1/2 acre L shaped pond. I started in September of 2012, but we ran into a large amount of rock so my pond size was cut by more than in half. I added a small 90' X 45' section this spring to catch runoff from another direction. The main section was full by December 2012. We cut the 3 ft deep 12 ft wide ditch to the addition in April 2013 and I added 18 inches to the drain pipe. I am now at 6 inches below full pool. Due to heavy spring rains and some additional land clearing, the pond is muddy at this time. Runoff from the additional land clearing should be under control with grass coming in. Depth at the damn is about 12' ft, tapering to the top of the pond at about 3 ft. The main section is about 65 yards long. The addition is 8' ft in middle with shallow flat on one side plus where we connected the addition. I put in several small rock piles and plan to add some brush or other structures based upon other threads. There were thousands of tadpoles in the pond this spring. High mineral content in the soil in this area. I do have 4 mallards for my little girl
I was planning on a standard lmb / bg pond. Based upon research, I understand I can not have what we all want.....a pond full of trophy bass and dinner plate sizes bg. I would like to be able to be able to walk down to the pond and catch a few 2 to 3 lb lmb with one 5+ on occasion. We started a family very late, so I would like to be able to take my soon to be 5 yr old daughter down to catch some bg with an opportunity of a few hand size to make it exciting for dad as well. I tournament bass fished for 20 yrs so I am just looking for a small "fix" every now and then without having to hook up the glitter boat and head to the lake/ river.
Any recommendations on hatcheries ? I have seen the list on the VDGIF website, but only see a few in the area and only zetts's appears to have a website. I would want BG or CNBG, FHM, and LMB. Is there a strain of lmb I should seek out for my area? Zetts's mentions Oswego bass, a bass from Oswego lake crossed with Florida bass
Given we are basically at the beginning of June 2013, I would appreciate some suggestions on a stocking schedule for the FHM, BG, and LMB.
Any other forage I should consider adding?
