Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Evaluating and adjusting fish populations Stocking Adjustments

Greetings guys,

Its been some time since I have posted or worked with my pond but spring approaches and "fish days" at the local feed store are near. Last March I stocked my then newly built 1/3 acre pond in the Ozark foothills in SE Missouri with the state recommended 50% stocking rate (for a pond of this size) of 65 bg(2"-4"), 20 res(2"-4") and 2lbs of fhm. This was followed up in September by adding 17 lmb(2"-4"). By the onset of winter all of these seemed to be flourishing and there was no visible evidence of morts. However, after frequently reviewing Pond Boss boards and various other materials, I can not help but feel the stocking rates are too light. I understand state's reasoning with poor soil fertility, and I may have asked this before, but would I benefit by adjusting my stocking rates this spring?

If anything, you did go light on the stocking for both forage and predators, but you might be just fine with that.

Personally, I would wait and see what you have this summer.

You will probably pull off a bluegill spawn this spring, and that could really help solidify your forage base.

I suppose there might be a slim chance of having a LMB spawn this spring which would also change the dynamics. If you could comment on how big the LMB are right now, we could speculate as to if they might spawn.

If the LMB don't spawn this year, but the BG and FH do, you might be good to go.

Much like Sunil said, you should get a good BG and RES spawn this spring. So those numbers will blow up! Depending on the size of your bass, you may get a LMB spawn but I think it is more likely you won't. I would recommend you keep an eye on if you see any LMB spawning. If you do, hold off on stocking. If you don't I would go ahead and stock another 15-20 LMB in the 6"-8" size. If you stock a smaller size of LMB say, the 2"-4" size, I would stock about 40 -50 as many will become bass food...

Hey bus, welcome back. Sunil and CJBS have good advice.

LMB will catch up, they always do. I love the Greg Grimes super forage stocking strategy, but it doesn't fit for everyone. If I may, what are you trying to accomplish with the pond? What are your goals? How much will you fish it/manage it? Are you going to feed?

Thanks for responding guys. I am a little embarrassed I had posted a similar message last fall. Sorry. I guess working two jobs and building a house can take its toll. In any case, the goal of my pond is to produce ample numbers of eating sized bluegill and I intend to fish/manage the pond extensively. Presently, I have no idea about the current size of the bass, however, based upon several nests, it appeared as if there was a limited bluegill spawn last year and the fatheads seemed to be prolific. What has really confused me is the state recommends a 5:1 ratio of bg:lmb (50% stocking rate) while many other sources recommend a 10:1 ratio. Also, is there any benefit to adding more fhm?

10:1 BG:LMB tends to be more recommended (historically, not counting Grimes/Lusk new super forage ratios) down South. 5:1 is more common up North, where it can take LMB longer to achieve their first spawn and some folks worry about the forage getting too far ahead of the bass as a result. Either can produce a pond you can manage, especially in only 1/3 acre.

If your Fatheads are producing free minnows for you, stocking additional ones is IMHO a waste of $. Those FHM, in any numbers, will be wiped out by the bass in a couple of year at most. Spending money on fish feed to add size and numbers to the BG (and FHM while they last) is a better use of resources than adding more Fatheads.

If your goal is to produce nice sized BG to eat, go heavy on the LMB stocking and lighter on the BG. You'll end up with smaller bass, but the BG that survive will be a nice fat eating size and there will still be plenty of them to harvest for the table...