Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Corrective stocking new pond

just had an old pond cleaned out in a 'dry creek', approx. 1 acre surface, narrow, 20' at dam, to 8 at back when spillway full. It's beginning to rain, so I don't have any structure, just good clay bottom and sides. Only appr. 3-4' water caught at deep end so far. Is it time for fh and can I just place some pallets or brush to aid spawn? Hope to fill by spring and plan to stock cc. Should I stock bg also, lmb? New to this and am impressed with this site and will subscribe to magazine.
The pond will "hold like a jug", but here in cen. Tex., big rain has been a problem lately. Thanks for any and all opines, first time to join into you guys with a question, but have been reading your old threads for couple of nights. thanks

It would be interesting to hear what your real goal is, davemc. Imagine yourself five years in the future and tell us what you would catch on that day. How many fish and what kinds. Would it be fast and furious? Or would you be patient--hoping for that one or two bites that might produce a trophy?

Dave, it takes time for water to become fertile after impounding. Read something about using a sechi disk to be able to monitor the bottom of the food chain. It takes time.

Is the water that is in the pond muddy or clear and at your place how have temps. been? Will you be feeding pellets? If so the FH will eat them.

I would go ahead and add some pallets for FH to spawn in. I would do that as follows. Do not fix them in water that will be deep. Tie a rope or line to them and put them in the water. They will float. Anchor the line to the bank at full pool. That way as the pond fills you can pull the pallets back to near the current pond/water line ( keep them in water no more than 3 ft. deep once the FH go in). When the pond is full you can anchor them near the bank in 1-3 ft. of water where they will water log (or you can put a few big rocks on them to keep them in place). You may want to place some at different depths to match the water level as the pond rises and falls.

Thanks to all for the input. ewest, the pond may be "red water" because bottom and sides are red clay. However, a very old pond next to it is blue/dark water, so the new one may settle out after filling? I will add the pallets. I was concerned about dry creek rushing in with a big rain would wash them out, but I'll tie them off as you described. I'm a good big rain away from being half full or perhaps a decent hard rain on the watershed away. Temps are still in the upper 80s.

Condello, five years from now I would like to be catching those 3 to 4 pound cc, but be pleasantly interrupted with large bg. I have really bit the bullet on this pond thing. It all started with the drought we have been in and several "stock tanks" (earth ponds) that needed cleaning out. The natural progression was stocking after cleaning out, ergo I found Pond Boss on the worldwideweb, and you guys enthusiasm has infected me.

If you have visibilities of 12 inches in the pond I would go ahead and add some FH along with the pallets.

I really appreciate all you guys input. Here's another question. The established pond separated by new dam, about 2-3 acres is about 80 years old and down about 4'. It is still 7' at dam and is stocked with LMB. I can catch only 2 pounders, not much larger, an occasional pounder or so and never a perch of any kind. Do I need to stock forage or is the ponds population stunted and I need to eliminate by not releasing my catch?

I like that goal. Very reasonable. If that was all a person wanted they could achieve it with relative ease.

1. Keep predator densities high (usually LMB)

2. Artificial feed (enhance growth rates of both BG and CC)

3. Harvest female bluegill

This would keep bluegill and CC growth rates high, keep BG year classes small, allow for eating some fish. Action would be good and you might be pleasantly surprised by catching quite a few big bluegill.