Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Corrective stocking Whats your opinion?

Will soon be stocking "another hole in the ground" Have been getting quotes and suggestions from different suppliers. I think I know better but one suggested stocking all(FH/BG/Bass/CC)at one time; stating they were sized(BG and Bass 2-3")as so the bass will only feed on FH. I am thinking this goes against what seems to be the more prefered approach of stocking forage first and follow with predators. This stocking may work but it seems a better way would be the tried and true BG/FH/CC and then bass later on in late summer/early fall. What do you all think?

Of course if stock bass now they will be able to use the bridge to get to the other side of the pond.

I don't see that you would benefit by doing it their way.

Quigibo I don't agree with that method. While there are a number of methods that will work , I would not use that one. Here is why. While they are at first sized for that to work they IMO soon out grow that situation. At first they all will (FH ,BG & LMB) be eating plankton and small bugs etc . That will not be the case in 4 mths. I don't want to take the chance that those 2 in LMB by Oct are big enough to eat my ,by then 4in BG. Those BG are the brood stock and I don't want them eaten. By staging the LMB 6 mths behind the BG that will not happen. Look at it this way. The reason in nature that LMB and BG are born at or near the same time is so the yoy BG are available for the yoy LMB to eat when the yoy LMB get big enough ,which is about the time they quit eating zoo-plankton and little bugs. Sometimes that is the first BG from spring spawning sometimes it is the next or next BG spawn in summer. But why take the risk as you will not have second and third batches of young BG this year for the LMB to eat only your first stockers. Maybe the LMB will only eat the FH during this period but I would not bet on it with my BG brood stock.

I'd say it's more of a Northern strategy where, due to slower LMB growth, you don't want the BG getting too far ahead of the bass. But even up here, I'd want the FHM stocked ahead of time.

Thanks for the info guys. I figured i would stick with the staggard method but thought I would get ya'lls opinion on it. There are many ways to go about this and different ideas work in different areas. For this pond I think getting as much forage built up is the better way to go.

There are a couple of fish suppliers around this area that don't seem to be too concerned about repeat business. I'd mark that guy off the list.