I am working on building a small 1/4 to 1/3 acre pond which i intend to eventually stock with smallmouth bass. I live washington state, on the olympic peninsula. I have a good construction plan, but i am unsure about which species to stock for forage. I want to go with the common Fathead and golden shiner combo for a full year before introducing bass, but i am unsure if the shiners would thrive in a pond in my area because temperatures rarely exceed 80 degrees for more than two or three months. although winters arent that extreme, and i have no idea about what water temperatures would be like. Is there any type of forage other than golden shiners that i could stock here that might do better in the temperate climate? should i stick with shiners and see how it plays out?
