Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Corrective stocking Bill Cody's Perch Pond

Flatlander - Stocking north of the Ohio River for SMB, perch, pumpkinseds, shiners.
Not a simple answer IF done correctly.
Firstly. Make a copy of this & use it as your guide. Don't use pumpkinseeds with SMB! They quickly get too big for them to eat and overpopulate. Bad. Bad. Pumpkinseeds don't feed train as easily as bgill. If you want pumpkinseeds use LMB. LMB don't work good with perch. LMB have too big of a mouth(at 13-16") and eat the larger perch that you want to eat. Restocking smaller perch is almost impossible w/ LMB in the pond. LMB and fishing pressure will over time probably eliminate the perch unless there is LOTS of cover. PICK A CORRECT COMBINATION AND STICK WITH IT. Mixing them will cause problems.
Secondly, you should consider the productivity of the body of water you plan to stock. Most all ponds have different fertility levels. Natural pond fertility is based on soil type and what gets in from the watershed. Since you're in Maine with hard bedrock, I assume the waters up there are soft & produce relatively few fish pounds per acre. Let's assume 50-100lbs/acre; 150 is probably a little high. Feeding high protein food in moderate amounts for a 1/3 acre will boost production; possibly to 200+lbs/ac.
Don't over stock too many "hogs" based on your
food base. Do some calculations on fish numbers and weights.
Thirdly, for SMB & yel. perch you have to feed them a trout chow ration 40% protein MINIMUM. If using catfish food or game chow; they WON'T eat and grow properly. Remember we are feeding canivorous fish not ominivours like catfish & bgills. Use Ziegler, Silver Cup or Purina AquaMax or equivalent. Talk to someone feeding trout in your neighborhood or check with the game warden about who feeds trout or where to get food. ALSO it is going to be pretty hard for YOU to train hatchery or wild stock to eat your food. Been there, done that before; don't repeat my mistakes. It's hard enough keeping them on feed let alone trying to feed train "wild" fish too. If at all possible (and try hard)to buy feed trained fingerlings or subadults. Makes life a whole lot easier.
Fourth. Be patient. Establish a good food base before adding a major predator, SMB. I prefer to stock minnows/shiners and perch first. Allow them to grow and reproduce until the perch spawn & young are numerous and need thinning. With perch on feed they won't prey on the minnows as hard and you should, with some "cover", have lots of minnows/shiners. If you don't, something is WRONG and needs fixing BEFORE you add SMB. Remember perch are also minnow eaters (esp those >5"), they will somewhat thin the young perch but not very well depending on the spawning success & recrutiment of young. Perch "rather" eat minnows than young perch. Get as many perch as possible on feed/welfare! so they don't eliminate the minnows.
Fifth. I would stock preferably two sizes of perch; but one size will work. MY best guess having not seen "your" pond.. Stock in 1/3 acre a total of 50-60 yel.perch (70% 2-3" & 30% 4-6")or if feed trained stock 100-120 (same ratio as above). NOTE you can stock a little heavier if farther south & feeding, up to 500/ac. This will insure a spawn the first spring. Study up on perch spawning and make it right for them. Perch are unique spawners; the only sportfish to spawn this way.
Sixth. Choose your shiner/minnow food base with knowledge of their spawning habits and requirements. Make sure they will spawn in your pond. 10-30% weed cover helps tremendously to maintain a minnow population. If you use golden shiners (aka bait stealers), they will quickly grow too big for the perch to eat. Thus I don't recommend them for perch ponds. Bluntnose minnows work good (native in the north) spawn like fatheads. Largest bluntnose adults are also too big (3-4") & fast for most perch to eat. Fatheads are easy prey for perch except for the largest ones (3"). Fatheads (not a good choice w/ SMB) will dissappear when SMB are added! I use spotfin shiners in my perch ponds.
Seventh. When you need a predator to "thin" the perch add about 10-15 (in 1/3ac) feed trained SMB (fingerlings or young adults). SMB can be trained to eat feed "relatively easily". Try Hicklings Hatchery in Edmeston NY for feed trained SMB. SMB will spawn esp with some golf-ball sized gravel beds at 2-3 yrs old and will add to the number of predators. Do not let SMB get too mumerous they will eliminate the minnows first and there goes your perch food AND good growth. Productivity will suffer.
Eighth. Since you are "up north" consider
using walleyes as a predator. They will work in the right conditions. Done it! They will be put and take; but now you can control how many are in the pond and how much prey presure they exert on the forage. Selectively harvest them when they get 16-20" (3-6 yr olds depending on prey abundance). Larger walleyes will be eating the larger perch> Bad . Try to keep the predation pressure on the smaller perch. Restock as needed with fingerlings or 5-7" yearlings. NOTE: it's very rare to find walleye on feed; let me know if you find some.
Ninth. Remember: ample forage and diversity of forage is KEY to growing all fish. A FISH WILL GROW AS LONG AS IT LIVES, IF IT HAS FOOD TO EXCESS.
Cut back on the feed and growth slows or stops.
Tenth. Keep us posted on your progress and you're welcome. B. Cody-The Pond doctor.