Pond Boss Forums STOCKING A NEW POND Types of fish to choose Bill Cody: Walleye and Perch Pond feasible?

Sorry I didn't get a chance to chime in sooner Rowly... been out of town.

In my opinion the best minnow choice for your pond and the one with the greatest chance of survival, (And great reprocuction rates), is the bridle shiner. Mudminnows inhabit a different type of area and may survive some predation... but in a pond that is spring fed and as clear as I believe yours is, the mudminnows woudn't fare so well.
Creek chub are kind of slow, certainly the larger they get, as Bill says they may or may not reproduce,, decent forage for LMB and walleye but I think they fit a similar food niche as the perch. Dace, promarily Red Belly in our area are a decent choice, though not always as effective a reproducer as I would like. I like most shiner varieties but certainly my best luck is with Bridle Shiners... spawn like mad and vary in size from 1/2" to 2.5" approx. and can provide feed for a few different predator species depending on their size. They do like pallets as spawning cover so try and release them in areas where they can have a chance. (Oh and new fry swim in vunerable groups for a few weeks... so you might see a sudden increase in Perch/R-Bass sizes)

The question about Rock Bass spawning rates... I don't have any specific information, just what I have seen in other lakes and I think Bill's hypothesis that they are not overly prolific is accurate.