I`m just on the outskirts of Escanaba on higher ground so bedrock should not be a problem. The pond is being dug on the site of a tag alder swamp and will be ground and rain/snow fed unless we hit a spring. The pond will be surrounded by trees so this may tend to keep the temps cooler. I would expect it to be full by late spring. Should I put in minnows this year and wait a year for the perch? I was going to get perch from PRI is Standish.Would the perch spawn and provide food for the trout and the larger perch and would the offspring that survived learn to eat pellets or would they just eat natural food.