Pond Boss Forums STOCKING A NEW POND Types of fish to choose How fast do these fish grow?

I have a small pond that I stocked with (100) 4-6" channels, (100) 1-3" Copper Nose, (40) 1-3" Red Ears, and (10) 4-6" LMB and 2lbs of minnows. The pond was bone dry 2 years ago during a drought. It has rained a lot and filled up....

I stocked it with the above April this year (2007). I hand feed that pond about once a week.
Now my question in the title. I see small BG, the catfish are 10-12". Except one catfish that is about 18". It looks huge! There is also one REALLY big fish that I cannot identify, but I think is a LMB. It looks about 2-3 lbs! I cannot get a good look because when I feed, it darts up and then back down. The water is very silty. I also see several small catfish (less than an inch). Can a LMB grow that fast? Can a channel grow that fast to spawn?

I know the pond was sterile before I stocked it, because it was dry for a long time. I am just wondering if this is possible growth considering my feeding schedule.

10-12" CC from 4-6" stockers in (less than) one season is definitely possible with limited feeding, depending on location. What's your 20?

OTOH a CC reaching 18" on once-a-week feeding would really be pushing it, and I don't believe a 6" LMB could grow anywhere near 2-3 lbs in this amount of time. If there is a chance that a "helpful" friend, neighbor, in-law, poacher, etc. could have added large fish to the pond, I bet that is what happened with the large unidentified fish and the 18" CC.

The pond is in Needville, Tx. Gulfcoast area... The "friendly neighbor" theory has crossed my mind. Not sure who or why they would go to the trouble..... It has been a VERY wet winter and summer, but we have not had a drastic flood which would cause some co-mingling with other ponds in the area. I guess there was a lot of bio-mass in the pond because grass and weeds were growing in it before water was added. I cannot see a big fish holding its breath as long as that pond was dry

IMHO, Bass don't grow to 2-3 lbs that fast and catfish will not grow a foot in 4 months either..

Sounds like a mystery to me??

Robert, I too did an initial stocking on a brand new pond in April of this year with 300 6-8" CC, 200 2-4" LMB, 400 CNBG 4-6", 100 RES 4-6", 40 lbs of FHM.. I am in Northeast Texas and have two feeders going off twice a day in a pond that is about 3 acres.. I switched to Purina Game Fish Chow after convincing our local feedmill to carry it.. It is amazing in short order how big ALL thie fish have gotten.. NOW fast forward to this month, CC currently caught are 10-12" and round as a soda can, LMb are anywhere between 8-10" and chunky, the CNBG, and RES from the first stocking are not as fast growing mainly just filling out their body and grown half-1 inch.. Now there are NOOOOO minnows to be seen at all anymore.. Then in May of this year,
I added 500 3-4" more CNBG and 3-4" 100 Blk Crappie (regret that one) they are all but blowing up, getting very big, even caught up to some of the first stocking.. The first fruits of Game Fish chow over the Nutrisource (not sure if that was the name) stuff rom Tractor Supply I guess. Just my take on some growth levels in my pond, spawning went well there are still occupied beds now and especially at night with a spot light the shores are FULL of fry.. I didn't do the stocking thing right by adding predators with forage fish but all seems very good, I had to dump more money to try and get a good frst year spawn of forage and will put more foragefish in there when temps get reasonable.. Thought I would give you my take on the fish growth.. we have ahad a blast with it so far...

Be Blessed,
Damon

Interesting.