We are in the middle of construction of a new 9 acre pond on a property in Central California. Our winter temperature occasional get down to 28 degrees (no snow) for a month of so and summers there can be sustained high 90's and low 100's for late summer and coming into the fall. The fishery will be a bluegill & bass fishery. Pond is new with sculptured bottom and depths to 12'. It will be a "Bass Disneyland" with concrete rock piles with orange trees mixed, deep cut ridges and flats with shallows layde with plastic and covered in 6" of pea gravel and small islands with steep cuts to prevent tule growth spreading.

Aeration will be a Vertex system designed already by Vertex. It will consist of a Air4 XL5 unit with 4 air station producing a 1.39 daily water turn over rate. Water will be supplied from and only a new deep well (great water). We are in the process of creating a annual budget to plan for costs involved to have a highly successful fishery.

Stocking plan will be initial 1,000 copper nose bluegill (1" - 3") per acre and then wait a year to get a strong prey base. We plan on installing three (3) fish feeders to feed the bluegill (one feeder per 3 acres). After one year and sampling for abundant bluegill we plan on stocking 1 lb. feed trained Florida's at a ratio of 10 lbs. per acre - approx. 90 bass. One of the feeders will then be filled with bass chow pellets and the original two units will stay with bluegill sized feed. Does this sound good?

Additional forage will include tilapia at a ratio of 10 lbs. per acre with 3/4 tilapia stocked each Spring when the water temperatures reach 75 degrees. Also, thread fin shad will be stocked in late March at 68 degree water to establish if not try again until they do (readily available nearby in a canal).

So with this info I have provided I get to the question -

How many pounds of feed should I budget for on a monthly and annual basis for the first year on bluegill only. Then second and years to follow, pounds of bluegill and bass feed?

There must be some formula based on pond / lake size and size of the biomass?

Thanks guys!

Dave