Pond Boss Forums STOCKING A NEW POND Types of fish to choose Recommendations in SE Michigan

Given your low input/low output wrt fishing plan, I suggest you consider fish with no, low, or limited reproductive potential. These include:
HBG (if you manage these properly, it is to get virtually no effective reproduction, hence no stunting)
HSB (oops, I think you're right that they're a no-no in MI)
SMB
RES
CC
Walleyes

If you are stocking predators in numbers that will remain rather limited (i.e. not LMB), initial forage species stockings of GSH and even FHM, in addition to providing a good start-up, may last indefinitely.

Some things to consider to help refine your fish choices:

-Will you want to and be able to restock species on an annual (or perhaps longer interval) basis, or do you want populations which maintain themselves without restocking?
-What kind of fishing do you enjoy? What kinds of fish do you like to catch?
-Are you willing to put in spawning structures as might be needed for some species? These need not be intrusive wrt swimming access.

Brettski went through a similar kind of decision process with some defining parameters in common with yours. IIRC he didn't want to worry about LMB and BG overpopulating and had no strong fishing preferences. He ended up choosing RES/YP/SMB (which does require special spawning structures for the YP & especially SMB to reproduce). See his Help me adopt my fish family thread for ideas to help your decision.

If you don't get any better fish supplier recommendations, Stony Creek (Equipment, IIRC) is in MI and handles most of the species I've mentioned. I have never bought fish from them, but I have been happy with equipment I've gotten from them. Bill Cody has also listed them as a source to go to for "stuff." They are a PBMag advertiser.