Pond Boss Forums STOCKING A NEW POND Types of fish to choose Starting over...(rookie)

Hey guys....ive posted on here a few times and have recieved some great help...

We are going to rotenone our pond in about a month and going to start over due to our populations being all out of whack from a huge fish kill...The siphon has been constructed and ready to go.... (pics to follow when i get back out there..and video when we drain it)

The big question is.....restocking...I have no idea how to come up with a precise plan for restocking and ratio wise how many of what....My father has mentioned stocking tiger bass or f-1's...I definately know that we want some good bass fishing and the more agressive the better...as far as foreage for them, we have always enjoyed catching some big ol bluegill for the dinner table...but after surfing this site i have realized there are multiple kinds and see some people leaning to one more than another...Any info or contructive criticism would be very much appreciated guys... we cant wait to get back to enjoying our family farm pond like we used to..

Start formulating a stocking plan by defining some short term and long term goals for the pond. Also get a good measurement of how large the pond is (surface area). You can do that (usually) by going here , finding your pond and measuring it.

Then let us know and we'll help.

It is 2.474 acres... Short term im not really sure what to shoot for...but long term we would love to be able to grow good size bass that would bend a rod and make the heart thump... ballpark weight 8lbs or better would be great... and also have a healthy panfish of sorts to entertain the ones in my family who dont want to chase the bucketmouth...and also for dinner... We do have an auto feeder on the pond..

It's easier to manage for large BG and small (14" and less) LMB than it is to manage a smaller BOW for large LMB. Figure on 50# to 100# of LMB per acre, once the fish mature. Think about those numbers for a minute. That's roughly 13 to 26 of LMB in your pond if they're all the size that you are shooting for. It'll take a number of years to get them that big, so with them being caught a few times in the meantime, they might get hook shy.....

You can grow HSB to that size quicker, and they won't have the overpopulation potential that the LMB will have. In my pond, I have 38 LMB that are tagged, and I shoot for removing every other LMB that is caught, no matter how big or small. I'll usually remove 100+ LMB per year, and I still have a hard time keeping enough forage in the pond for the LMB.

IIRC, if I were to do it all over again, I'd start with RES, HSB, SMB, and YP. FHM and GSH for forage to get the fish going, and hopefully the GHS will establish a viable population in the pond. AAll the fish would be feed trained if possible, the RES would be the iffy fish for feed training.

If you stock 50-75 LMB fingerlings per acre, you should also stock somewhere between 1,000 to 3,000 BG per acre to provide a bunch of forage for the LMB to grow quickly.

Feed a good high quality carnivore fish food (not floating catfish food) and all the fish will grow quicker.

Stock some FHM first, and wait as long as you can before stocking the LMB/BG. A year would be great.

Or, if it's legal in your state, stock HSB and HBG. Pellet feed the fish, and re-stock every couple of years the number of HSB that you removed, and close to 75% of the HBG that you removed. A 5# - 6# HSB will pull an 8# LMB backwards......

If you are draining the pond I would make one suggestion.

Take this time to consider and remodeling that you want to do. Its always nice to make a pond bigger if you can. Larger ponds can accomidate threadfin shad, which are like an all day every buffet for largemouth bass.

You also want to consider the species that you are stocking and give some thought to their needs for spawning and cover.

Create as much viable spawning area for forage as you can. The more baby forage that is made every year, the more food that you will have all the way up your food chain. For shiners, chubsuckers, and grass shrimp you are going to require vegetation in the pond. Pond weed is probably best, but you have to consider controlling it too.

Create cover for forage. You want them to be able to grow to a size where they can reproduce. This is essential. Pallets make great cover. Brushpiles are great cover. Also consider non fish forage. Crayfish will need a pretty large rocky area to be able to grow and reproduce.

If you take the time to remodel your pond before you stock your fish you will have much better results.

we hadnt even considered the HSB...even though we stripe fish regularly on the Tennessee River and LOOOVE catching the gritty guys...Would the SMB and YP Survive here in north alabama? our pond is mostly muddy type bottom except in a few places with small gravel where the bream always bed...RES are one of my dads favorite fish so they are a shoe in...


greatwhiteape....we are going to drop the level approx 6 feet so to save on the rotenone costs..that should expose a large portion of the west end of our pondwhich already has a thick weed growing in it...pallets will be on my "look out for" list to drop in there and help improve the habitat...

Just think about what you would like to stock and then consider two things. In order for any species to be successful they need someplace to spawn and cover to hide in to reach reproductive size.

If you can accomplish that from the bottom of the food chain to the top you will have an awesome pond.

You are far enough south to use CNBG which grow larger than normal bluegill, if you go LMB you will definitely want to use them. If it were me I would stock some FHM ASAP along with some threadfin shad. Wait until next summer then stock the bluegill and bass.

In the meantime get your fish structure established and try to get some beneficial vegetation going. A 2+ acre southern pond will be able to get you those 8lb+ bass if you get your forage base set and have patience.

Thanks for the help guys!!! Keep it coming!!!

As i read my last post it looks like i was dismissing the HAB....That wasnt the case at all...i would love to know more about stocking them and what kind of growth average they have...

Ill def look into CNBG now and HSB.... I am going to try to get some FHM in there asap when i know the water is safe for them and am planing on restocking the rest next summer...

I have been loking on the site for fish habitat and am wondering what yall have as a favorite for the minnows and fry to hide in besides vegetation? and what depths should i be looking to hide this stuff... we have an average depth of approx 7 feet with majority being 3 or 4 and the deepest being 15..

Have you looked in the archives for the structure thread? It's on the first page. There is a ton of information and pictures there: http://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=postlist&Board=22&page=1

The archives is sort of like a FAQ for this website in relation to ponds.

The cover for the forage fish could be in all depths, depending on the purpose of that specific cover. i.e. cover in 12' of water wouldnt' be utilized in the summertime unless you had a bottom aeration system, but for sure it will be utilized in the winter. FHM spawning cover should be in <18" of water, etc., etc.

Pier252, I am located less than an hour west of you near Hartselle. My pond , which I have only owned for a year, is around 2 acres. I drained my pond down this summer and wiped the existing fish out. All that was in the pond was GSF and TFS. On Labor Day weekend I added trees, pallets and rock for cover. I am now also trying to decide what kind and how many fish to stock. I want a "balanced" pond. I have emailed a few fisheries in the southeast for advice and this is what I have decided on today, but I seem to tweak it every month.

January 2013 stocking
2,000 CNBG
400 RES
125 CC
4,000 FHM

June 2013 stocking
125 F1 bass
25 Florida bass

The 1st stocking date is when I am estimating that the pond's water level will be 2/3 full and I was told to stock those varieties when the water was cold and to wait and stock the bass in June.

Maybe this will help or if anyone has some input or suggestions on my plan I would love to here them.

Fastpitch.....Keep me updated with how your whole project goes...sounds like we are planning almost the same renovation....

Hope you guys make it to the pondboss conference giving a presentation on this exact topic. Hope to see you there.

CONFERENCE?? when is this? I will be there work permitting....this site is by far the best education i have gotten on anything pond related...everybody is so well versed on everything you need.. I have referred many of my friends to this site...Cant beat it with a stick...

http://www.pondboss.com/events.asp?id=3

AWESOME....will be there if i can manage!