Rusty crayfish will completely denude a pond of plants...
If you remember, next time you are collecting, take photos of the different species of fish you catch. Local names are often very different around different parts of the country. I'd love to see what you are catching, then myself or someone can let you know if they are a good pond candidate...
If you aren't a subscriber of Pond Boss, I would highly recommend it. Bill Cody and I are currently working on a series of articles related to the very subject we are talking about. That is, how to collecting forage fish from the wild and introduce them into forage ponds and fishing ponds. The articles will cover how to avoid disease/parasite transmission, what equipment to use, how to identify different species and which ones to keep. It should be of great help to those who are very interested in collecting wild forage fish for their pond but don't know where to start, or those who never considered the idea but may now do so because of the information the articles provide...
