Pond Boss Forums STOCKING A NEW POND Creating the food chain Could my LMB eat this much

I stocked about 3000 FHM, 40 LMB (1-3 inches), and 50 perch this spring. Is it possible that the bass and perch could have knocked out the minnows that fast (there are also 250 BG in the pond)? I used to see BIG schools of minnows in the spring, but now only see a couple of small groups in the shallows that get hammered by the LMB as soon as the start to move. Have the minnows moved deeper? I see the bass, and they don't look much bigger (3-4 inches). This is all new to me, so just trying to get a feel for this first year of the pond.

The YP and LMB are reducing the FH numbers. That is what happens.

But could almost all of them be gone? I am wondering if there are still big schools out there, just in deeper water?

FH stay in shallow and rarely go out far from the bank.

FHM evolved to fill niches that were mostly devoid of predators. Such as low quality highly turbid creeks and shallow oxbow ponds. FHM just didn't evolve to handle heavy predation. LMB and YP are excellent predators and will thin out your FHM rather quickly.

I experimented with a 1/3 acre pond of a family friend who wanted it just for swimming but was tired of getting bitten by water bugs. He originally stock it only with FHM. They got so thick that you could take a swipe with your dip net and catch at least 20 to 30 every time without any effort. They didn't solve the biting bug problem so 20 6" LMB were added. In 3 years you couldn't find a single FHM! The biting bugs were gone and so were the FHM...

I added 10 lbs of FHs and 80 BGs last year to my pond and this spring I was excited to see schools of small fish all around the edge of the pond. Three weeks ago I added 30 8-10 inch LMB. Within 10 days no small fish were visible at the pond's edge. In fact you can see the LMB lined up about 3 feet from the edge ready to pounce.I thought the equation was that the LMB would be feeding on BQs, but instead they seem to swimming around together without any sign of ill will towards one another.
I have taken to hand feeding but I note the BGs are getting in on the act. I would like to reintroduce FHs since they are really a cheaper source of protein but I fear they will barely make it to the weeds.

FHM will be quick fair. So placing more into your pond will not lead to a reproducing population. Bass are ravenous feeders! Small bass often "pack" up like wolves. I think they get some benefit out of it. Almost herding minnows and small BG to making feeding on them easier...

Not exactly on subject but I have witnessed bass herding minnows. I was standing on a large rock that was part way into the water. The rock had a depression that formed a small puddle that connected to the lake by a small channel. The puddle was maybe 3 feet across. The channel was maybe a foot wide with water only an inch deep. I saw several bass that were chasing a school of minnows. The minnows were using the channel as an escape route to get into the puddle where the bass could not follow. The bass would take up position surrounding the channel entrance and just wait for the minnows to leave the puddle. As groups of minnows headed into open water the bass pursued and gobbled up as many as they could catch. Some of the minnows retreated back into the puddle. The ones that didn't were either eaten or dispersed out into the lake. The bass would herd them back together and drive them back into the channel and the whole thing would start all over again. I watched them do this for an hour. Wished I had my video camera.