My co-worker (Mark) has a pond that is just shy of 1 acre and is over 20 years old. It had a relatively featureless bottom and was full of 3 to 4" bullheads. The pond was originally stocked with BG, LMB, and CC. The water had been muddy and catching gamefish was nearly impossible.
His solution? Mark caught a dozen flathead catfish from a local river and put them in the pond in June of 2003. The fish ranged from 4 to 12 pounds. Within months the bullhead population was extremely low and he stocked some BG (3 to4"). That winter he sunk three large trees in the pond for structure. Then in the Spring of 2004 he added LMB (4 to 6") and crappie (4 to 6").
Fast forward to Fall of 2004. The BG population was very good with large fish (7 to 10"), the LMB were in the 8 to 10" range, and the crappie were in the 7 to 9" range. He had only caught a handfull of bullheads and there were all over 8" long.
In 2005 he was catching monster BG and 12" crappie, and most of the bass were in the 2 pound range.
I don't know the exact numbers of fish he stocked, but they were well below the Iowa DNR's reccomended numbers. There were probably some BG and LMB still in the pond before he put the flathead catfish in, but I think the overpopulated bullheads were competing for forage and keeping the pond too muddy for the sight feeding gamefish.
He found one flathead that was dead after the ice went out in 2005 that was over 15 pounds.
Perhaps not the best way to renovate a fish population, but flatheads certainly worked for Mark's pond!
