Here is a post on my initial stocking rate for the first year and the times I stocked.
snrubs stocking rate and dates for the main pond From what I have read on here, a persons latitude affects how well the BG population growth does in relation to the LMB population growth. If I recall correctly, more northern latitudes tend to have BG overcrowding if the BG are stocked too early in relation to the LMB. In the far south they have less problem with that and want to get the forage established early. I'm in the middle so who knows????
Another important consideration are goals. If I was shooting for a trophy LMB pond I would probably be in great shape as far as forage. Not all that many LMB with plenty to eat. But I really don't bass fish that much (I have some friends that do) and prefer pan fish fishing with light tackle. So my goal was to have the opposite of what I have and have a LMB over crowded situation to control the BG population well so the BG would get to nice sizes as well as have numerous 2-3# LMB to catch.
I get bored fishing really quick if I am not catching something. So I prefer action over trophy. For me to fish for hours to catch a single big fish (maybe at that) bores me to tears. I just don't do it. Now catching 40 or 50 pan fish in a couple hours, that is what floats my boat.
So it is not that my pond has turned out bad. It is just not exactly what my goals were.
Edit: another note on all of the above. When I stocked my main pond I had not yet found Pond Boss magazine or the forum. I started reading the forum after my initial stocking of forage fish. So at the time of original stocking I was going more by what my fish seller (Charles Wallace of Wallace fish farms) had suggested for stocking rates. I did not tell him I wanted a pan fish pond but, not really knowing what I wanted at the time, just told him I wanted a general fishing pond. After all, I was not even an angler at the time. The last fishing I had done was 30 years ago with my small kids for 4" GSF. So considering that, the pond has turned out ok. As time went by and I learned more about it here on the forum and I started liking fishing and found out what I liked in the way of fishing. So my goals were really set rather dynamically after the pond was initially stocked.
