My friend has two ponds in the hills of the Central Valley, California. They are there to provide water for the cattle but also for fishing to a lesser degree.
Pond 1-
This pond went dry 15 years ago or so and did not have any fish until yesterday. We planted a very small number (20) of 3 1/2" RS/BG mix and 75 FH. The pond has some vegetation but not a ton and almost no habitat. The water is very clear. We did make some rock piles when we there for the FH to spawn in. We hope each species spawns in a couple months and gets a foothold before adding bass in a year or so. We also were thinking of adding CC in 3 months or so. What kind of manmade structure should we add? Some X-mas trees and bluegill condos? The goal for this pond is to have a good panfish population for the kids.
Pond 2-
This pond has had BG, BC and LMB for at least 6 years. The pond has very healthy vegetation but no structure other than that. The water clarity is much less than pond 1. There are no signs of the BG or BC. We catch many 7-13" LMB, sometimes almost every cast. The fish appear to be in good shape but they are on the skinny side. Our goal is to see some larger bass.
Thanks for any comments or suggestions.
