Pond Boss Forums STOCKING A NEW POND Types of fish to choose Help me with my Stocking plan.

Indy, think of the FHM as food for the initial stockers, and as those stockers grow larger, say to 10" the FHM will disappear. They won't be fast enough to avoid predation from the growing LMB and BG. They WILL provide a good jump start for the stocked fish. Unfortunately, they will not spawn during the winter in your area. They need water temps in the 66�F to 86�F range. The spawning structure should be in water roughly 18" or less. Each Male FHM has a territory of about 18" square.

If you don't particularly like CC, then I'd leave them out. Advanced sizes eat smaller fish, and from my experiences of low CC densities in my pond, they are hard to catch. Catch a small one and expect to catch it again once it gets larger? Not likely. I caught a 14# one the Spring of 2009. Tagged it and released it. It hasn't been caught or seen again.

If you have the patience, stock FHM and GSH as soon as the pond is completed. Hopefully there will be enough time during the rest of the year so they can pull off at least one spawn. Add fingerling BG/RES the following Spring. Add the predators (LMB fingerlings and any other fingerling predators) the next Fall. I know some people will say that BG will stunt if allowed to get way ahead of the predators. My feelings are that if you see that happening, add more LMB. I've heard of more problems associated with stunted LMB in a pond with BG than problems with stunted BG in a pond with LMB.

You have the same problems as I do with water fluctuations. My recommendation is to make sure you have enough clay to line the pond and keep it water tight. Avoid a ground water pond if at all possible.

If that's not possible (like me) then you will have to live with having the fish cover exposed above the waterline part of the year, and the edges of the pond bottom exposed to erosion as well when the water receeds. The cover should be placed at a depth where the fish will be able to use it. If the water level bounces around, then you will need more cover, at varying depths so the fish can use it as the water level moves up and down. Some deep, some shallow.