I am part of the lake committee on a newly formed subdivision lake. We are currently impounding water ( we have 20 acres covered and 15' deep) in what will be a 35 acre, 30 deep, (average depth 12-15')pond near Conroe, Texas. We are setting up for the 1st stocking, and want to know what type bait fish should be stocked and when. I also need to know when we could stock bass after the bait fish. Everything I have read say we should stock bait fish now. Is that correct? What should the stocking rate be and ratio of blue gill to redear, and sgoukd we use coppernose? What about minnows, type, various species? What rate?

Thanks.
Mike

I would send a personal message to Greg Grimes or Todd Overton (overtonfisheries) and make sure they see this post. Not only would they know the answer but they could provide the fish. They are both really good about not using the forum as a commercial for themselves, but they've both proven that they are conservative and knowledgable and are in your parts regularly I think.

Welcome to the forum!

Bruce

Mike, bottom line, in Texiz, is 1,000 BG/Redear per acre with a mixture of 80/20% BG to redear. Toss in about 5 lbs. of fathead minnows per acre. Stock forage fish in the spring. Give it about a year before you stock predators or wait until a bass can go to sleep with it's mouth open and wake up with a full belly.

BTW, check water quality (alkilinity and PH) prior to stocking.

I would contact PB headquarters and purchase the book "Raising Trophy Bass". It puts it all in perspective. Subscribe to the magazine. You'll never regret it.

I agree with Bruce's comments and would add that with a lake that size I would want to be sure that I got fish ( BG , RES and LMB etc.) from more than one source of brood stock. Either of those guys could take care of that (mix and match sources) if you request it and they could check on the different sources to be sure of the quality. You may also want to consider what fish types to use with a large deep lake. On forage fish most start with fatheads, then BG and RES and any other forage fish you decide on (like T.shad , G. shiners , tilapia). There are some options on types and sizes, but it would be good to get professional advice with a lake your size and depth. Call the PB office and talk to Bob Lusk about your situation.

Thanks guys. I am new to the pond management busness, having just fished in thapast, but now responsible to make sure that everything runs right. We will be putting together a management pla that we hope will take us into the future with a nice fishing lake.

I will definirely be coming back to this site for frequent visits to expand my knowledge. I have subscibed to the maaine and will get the book you refer to. We will need to get a budget together for stocking, supplemental stocking, aquatic weed control, and general maintenane issues. we have already put in place some "rules of the lake", and will need to start thinking about catch and release, slot limits etc. We want this to be a trophy fishing lake eventually, so we have our work cut out for us.

Thanks Bruce.

We'd recommend going with the recommendations provided above by Dave, and also consider stocking threadfin shad this spring before stocking bass.

Provided you get good reproduction from your forage species this spring, which is verifiable with minnow traps or shoreline seining, then you'll be able to stock your bass as soon as June. If you don't see good evidence of forage fish reproduction this spring then you'll stock bass in late summer/early fall. The absolute best time to stock lmb fingerlings is in late spring/early summer when they are only a few months old and haven't been held back on the fish farm. Stocking them young assures they'll have an entire live span for growth. VERY IMPORTANT...a 2"-3" bass in June is 2-3 months old. A 2"-3" bass purchased in the fall is 6-7 months old. Bass fingerlings purchased in the spring, before mid-may, are almost guaranteed to be a year old. Stock bass when they are young.

Good water quality and a consistent, conservative fertilization program should assure proliferation of all fish species. Manage for the prevention of nuisance aquatic vegetation and you'll keep the association happy. An aeration system in a 30ft deep lake would be very important.

Just something for you to chew on.

Also consider stocking hybrid striped bass and crappie for variety in the predator population. There are lots of options.

Thanks Todd,
The idea of a minnow trap to assess bait fish condition is a good one, and I will also keep in mind the timeline of looking to June for stocking the LMB. we will look to implement a fertilization program on a consistent but conservative basis till we get more experience with the lake.