Pond Boss Forums POND CONSTRUCTION Selecting a site New Member, New Pond

HI,

I'm a new member to this forum and a new pond owner. My wife and I built a small pond (1/4 - 1/3 acre) on our place in Central Texas. The pond is 10' deep in the middle section with fairly steep banks up the the shore. I would like to stock channel catfish and maybe some brim. What process should I follow to accomplish this? Should I stock minnows first? What sequence should I follow with the stocking of these fish? Can catfish and brim support themselves in a small pond like this?

Sorry to ask so many questions but I'm new and clueless to pond management.

Ron

Ron,
Dont do anything for the next month or so. Pond aint going anywhere and you need time to read this site. Just look at that puddle for awhile and visualize what you want it to be. This board will tell you whether it can happen or not.
Toby
OH Yeah, subscribe to the magazine first

Ron, Congratulations on recognizing that you are clueless. I screwed up my first pond by not recognizing limitations like biomass, water quality, synergistic relations of predators and prey, etc. Toby is right. Read the posts here and subscribe to the magazine. Don't stock until you know your water quality and what to do about it.

Toby,

Thanks for your reply. I'll take you advice and just look until I figure out what to do. I'll spend some sitting time gazing out at the pond from my front porch while reading the latest edition of Pond Boss. I subscribed several months ago.

Ron

Thank you Dave. There is some good advice in this forum. I'll enjoy spending some time here.

Ron

Welcome aboard. I also have a smaller pond 1/3 acre or so going on 3 years now. I initially stocked about 2 pounds of fathead minnows after it filled along with about 50 bream I got from my neighbors pond that my son had stocked in his pond a couple of years earlier. This was in the fall. The following spring I stocked channel cats. I am now loaded with minnows and mosquito fish that found there way in from the inflow. Last year I stocked 50 bass. We have caught a few bass on accident and they are about 1 pound and fat and happy as I see them lying in the shallows and attacking the mosquito fish on the banks. The cats are now 5 pounds plus we have removed about 100 and plan on stocking 100 more this year they are a blast catching on a small popper and a fly rod when I feed them (yeah I know it's cheating!) anyways you can click on my website and see my pond for ideas.

Bob in North Alabama

Ron, I think the biggest challenge to the small pond is water quality. As our friend Bill Cody says, "Fish are swimming in their own toilet (or something like that). Actually, it is probably the biggest challenge to the big lakes, also.

Ron - As Bob K. says your small pond will support LMbass and you do not have to stock catfish. But if you like catfish stock them with the bgill. Bass and cats are predators and will feed on and control the bgill population.