Pond Boss Forums STOCKING A NEW POND Types of fish to choose Stocking Idea in 15 acre cold-water pond

For starting this pond. Firstly begin with minnows; maybe even some you can catch from a local stream or small lake that is stream fed. We can help with minnow identification if needed. Several native minnows/shiners could be added with the FHM. In the first couple years the several native minnows that can reproduce will reproduce thus you will know which one are thriving. Few if any native true minnow/shiners will be a problem in the pond that you have/propose. Several of them plus maybe trout would likely spawn in gravel areas(homemade) of the inflowing stream the fills the upper pond. There are only a few small fish that you want to avoid from local streams: carp, suckers, sunfishes, and initially BH. You can always add BH later if needed or desired. But you can't get them out and can easily be a big problem once they are added and reproducing. Any fish can easily be added but they are extremely hard to remove them all when they are reproducing and causing problems for the whole pond balance. Certain species can absolutely ruin a nice cold cool water pond. With the BH you want an well established mature fishery before ever adding BH to minimize their chance of overpopulating. And even them it is a big gamble. About the only fish that controls BH well is the largemouth. My main concern with BH is when common to abundant they will make the pond turbid/muddy which causes problems for most all other fish species except Carp, CC and BH.

I would first establish your minnows/shiners for one summer then in fall or spring add trout with maybe yellow perch. You want a good food base to feed the trout. If you like eating BH and BG you will absolutely love eating delicious YP. Learn how the pond behaves and produces water clarity before adding BH so you have some good baseline pond ecology information prior to having BH. BH almost always produce cloudy water. Turbid water will strongly interfere with predatory behavior (sight feeders) and their control of small fish. I would not want a turbid muddy looking pond which BH will easily produce. Walleye do not control BH well - tried it. I doubt SMB will control BH either. The YP could be added the 2nd or 3rd year. Leave the BG out until the trout and minnow base is well established and you see a desire for BG. I would have BG and maybe LMB in the 15ac not the 1 ac.

HOMEWORK - Lookup and learn the Minnows and Shiners of North Carolina. Read about their spawning requirements and habits.