Pond Boss Forums STOCKING A NEW POND Types of fish to choose new 1 3/4 acre pond

Welcome to the forum!

I'll do a quick cliff notes and you can search for the longer version.

I'd put in the FHM asap.

You'll have to define your goals, and see what the state allows in regards to what fish they allow you to stock. Some states are funny.....

Black Crappie are very hard to manage in a small pond. I'd recommend against stocking them unless you really want to work at managing them.

HBG will grow quicker than BG for the first year or 2, then the BG will overtake them. They (the HBG) won't produce enough offspring to feed LMB if you want to stock LMB.

SMB won't do well in a pond when stocked with LMB. The LMB will be the dominant bass species in the pond and the SMB will dwindle away to nothing. So, if you want SMB, stock them and no LMB. You can always switch over to LMB, but you cannot switch from LMB to SMB without removing all the LMB first.

SMB don't eat enough fish to keep up with BG fecundity.

Pumpkinseed are hard to find in a hatchery. They don't get as big as BG. Not many people stock them because they are hard to find. They play a role like RES do in a pond.

I'm having a hard time catching CC in my pond. This Spring I had over slightly 100 in my pond. I've caught <20 this year. They usually won't spawn in a pond unless they have the proper spawning habitat.

Unless you have a weed problem AND the weeds are something that Grass Carp like to eat, you shouldn't need them.