Pond Boss Forums STOCKING A NEW POND Types of fish to choose Stocking 2 ponds

Howdy all, I'm a newcomer to the forums and loving every second of it! I have learned so much from reading prior posts, this site is a really valuable source for information!

Here's what I got:

I am "renovating" a couple ponds at my grandfather's place out in Shackleford County, Texas. One of them is a little over 3/4 acre and the other is probably 1/2 acre. I am trying to decide the best way to stock each pond and whether to stock them differently or the same. The objective is for the ponds to provide some delicious food, are relatively low maintenance (self-sustaining), and provide an enjoyable fishing experience.

I have read through several threads on the forum and have pretty much got it narrowed down to SMB, YP, BG (maybe...open to advice on this one), and CC, with FHM, RES, and GSH for a forage base. Decided against LMB because of the extra maintenance required and because the ponds are too small. Also, restocking fish every year is not ideal for our situation, so fish like HSB are out as well (even though that kinda bums me out...i love HSB!).

My main question is this, should I stock both ponds with all of those, or would it be better to make one of them a catfish pond? And if making one a catfish pond is the better route, what should I stock with the catfish?

Thanks in advance!!

Welcome to PB!

With that stocking plan, I think you will be overrun with BG in a few years. The SMB won't be able to control their numbers.

Is there suitable spawning substrate for the SMB in the ponds?

How much fishing pressure will the ponds see?

You don't have to stock HSB every year, it all depends on how many you take out of the pond every year. I'll be you could go every couple of years and be fine. That way you'll have the angling opportunities that you look forward to.

Will you be supplemental feeding at the ponds?

The ponds aren't too small, people have done more with less. How much will the water level fluctuate during the year?

Thanks for the response esshup!

Yeah, that was the concern with the BG. I live 2.5 hours away from my grandfather, so I won't be there to fish it regularly and help out the SMB. However, my uncle is out there (as well as the majority of the rest of my family) so the ability to cull out some BG is definitely there.

I haven't been out to the ponds in a while, so I haven't had a chance to survey the area and determine whether there are adequate spawning areas available. But, I do expect to have to do some development of habitat before stocking.

At this point, I do not plan to do any supplemental feeding. We aren't really trying to grow any trophy fish...so if we can get some nice healthy fish without supplemental feeding, that would be preferred.

If I made one of the ponds a catfish pond, would putting the BG in with the catfish be better than having them in with the SMB?

Unless the CC get really big, they won't control the BG population, and even then I wouldn't count on it. They have a small mouth gape in relation to their body size. Now, flathead cats might be a different story. Realistically, I don't think you will be able to manage BG's with anything other than LMB. In any case, ponds don't stay "balanced" by themselves for long. It's a fine balancing point that usually takes human intervention to keep it balanced.

Large lakes is a different story for some reason.

"It all depends" is a good thing to keep in mind when it comes to ponds. There are so many variables that can affect a smaller BOW.

The gape on a Flathead is a bit larger than a CC.....

How about HBG or CNBG? I've heard they do not reproduce as fast. Would those be easier to manage?

HBG would be the only choice from those 2. CNBG will reproduce just as fast as regular BG. The HBG will need to be restocked like HSB because I don't think they will reproduce and make more HBG with the same growth vigor that the origional stockers have. They only spawn once a year, so they won't overpopulate like BG/CNBG.

Instead of doing a catfish pond, would stocking one with SMB and the other with BG be a good option? Put YP in both and CC in one or both, along with the forage fish mentioned before. Would that offer easier management of both ponds? Or would I then run into the BG pond being overrun and their growth being negatively effected?

YP won't survive in North Texas. It gets to hot for them.

We are still trying to see how SMB do in Texas. There are a few of us that have them. I stocked mine in late 2009 but haven't fished for them much to see how they are doing. Another member right down the road has some and his have grown 3-4" in a year. If you go with SMB don't stock BG and just go with RES, golden shiners, and fathead minnows.

YP are native as far south as South Carolina. There are introduced populations and perhaps even some native populations in part of Alabama and Mississippi. It is possible yellow perch could survive in north Texas. If those fish stocked were sourced from southern populations, not those of the Great Lakes Region. Smaller ponds tend to get warmer, which may also be a challenge. Also, larger YP are more sensitive to warm water than are smaller fish. So if anything, you may just not be able to grow fish over say 10-12"...

A bigger challenge would be sourcing YP of a southern genetic strain to then stock in your pond(s).

With one of your stated goals being self sufficient and not requiring a lot of management, I am not sure YP and SMB would fit that category in a north Texas pond.

You have two ponds to work with. I would focus one on growing nice sized panfish(the smaller of the two) and then focus the other on growing larger sized LMB. With only 3/4 of an acre to work with, that isn't going to translate into many bass, but if you keep fishing pressure to a minimum it can still produce reasonably good fishing.

For small, low maintenance, Texas ponds, I like the idea of CC and HBG with a feeder. Eat the cats at about 2 pounds and restock. Let the kids and the kids that have never grown up catch the HBG and restock as needed.

I agree with DD1.