Pond Boss Forums STOCKING A NEW POND Types of fish to choose Don't you guys get tired of this?

Howdy, Mr. Mayor

Your stocking plan can be argued to have 3 (possibly 4) goals which are commonly seen as mutually exclusive:

1) Bass
2) Crappie
3) (Blue and/or Channel) Catfish
4) Bream

If there's a Texan (or the resident of any less fortunate state) for whom "fishing for bass" doesn't mean "fishing for BIG bass," I don't believe they post here. As you may have surmised from other threads, bass size tends to vary in reverse proportion to bass numbers, bream size tends to vary in reverse proportion to bream numbers, and the quality of bass and bream fishing tend to vary in reverse proportion to each other. IOW you can have a few big bass and a lot of small bream, a few big bream and a lot of small bass, or some situation on a sliding scale in between.

With 7 acres, I think I'd try to balance sort of in the middle, bass versus bream priority wise, knowing that this much water would let me have some big fish of both varieties.

1400 CC is a LOT of catfish, unless you want to concentrate on catfish. Just about any number of Blue Cats is a LOT of catfish, considering the size and predatory abilities they can achieve. Probably anything much over 100 BC (Bob Lusk and some other folks would have a very good idea of exact numbers, I think) WILL dominate your 7 acre pond, much to the chagrin of what most of us consider big bass (the BC will just consider them lunch ).

Crappie, as noted above, are very problematical in small (under 3 digit acreage) bodies of water. The above linked threads will give you a good idea of the "state of discussion" on Crappie management. Several very talented people here are trying to find a way to successfully and repeatedly manage Crappie over the long haul. Stay tuned for more information.

I personal feel the best route for a dedicated Crappie fan stocking a new lake to follow is A) establish a good forage base, B) develop a healthy population of LMB of diverse sizes, and C) pray that someone figures out how to manage Crappie while A) and B) are taking place :rolleyes: . If that doesn't happen, stock a relatively small number of Crappie and keep your fingers crossed.

Based on my own thoughts and the above stated advice of DD1 (on Texas Bass/bream numbers), I would stock:

350-700 LMB (say 550 for a compromise)
3500 CNBG
3500 native BG (and may the best strain win)
350 CC
NO BC (if you must, replace 50 CC with 50 BC)
1500 RES
70 lbs FHMinnows
200 Black Crappie after 3-4 years, unless a proven Crappie option is developed, in which case follow it (but it's your renovation expense if you bet this way and Crappie out ).

As DD said, we never (collectively, sometimes one or two of us take a day off) get tired of it. If the same question has been asked 1000 times, it's never been asked for the same size and location body of water, with the same goals, on the same day (we hope we give better answer as time goes by; they are at least different answers).