Pond Boss Forums STOCKING A NEW POND Types of fish to choose Choices

I posted over on the renovation thread yesterday. I am probably looking at renovation of my pond this late summer/fall. I currently have CC in my pond and definitely want them in the new one. The pond will be 3/4 surface acre when full. I am going to take advantage of this horrible drought and have the silt cleaned out and recontoured.

I am looking for low maintenance. I like to go down and feed them in the evenings (my little boy gets a big kick out of it). I know bass are hard to manage in a pond this size. What are my best choices? Hybrid Bluegill/Channel Cats? Opinions welcome. I would like a few big bass, but afraid they would get out of hand in a hurry.

HSB are a good addition to any pond in my opinion. No negatives to speak of and awesome results. As far as HBG and CC in a pond, that's been suggested as an option in the past, but you might consider female only LMB as well to help control the populations, especially that of the CC.

Population of CC? They shouldn't be doing much spawning in this pond. Maybe I'm misunderstanding what you're talking about....

By the way, I would love to have a few bass in there in hopes of having a whopper or two. Tell me more about this female bass option.

Maybe you won't, but if not given the opportunity for the young to find protection, LMB will hammer them and keep them in check. If LMB aren't present I'm not sure the parents, HBG and HSB can keep them controlled. Wait for someone else to chime in on that though.



Sexing them is critical, obviously, but if you're able to 100% sure know they are female only, you won't run the risk of spawning but still receive the reward of catching one once in a while and their predatory tendencies.

I assume the best way of doing this is catching in another pond when full of eggs so identification is easier??? Then transplanting into my pond. If no males are present, eggs become food for something..

CC are cavity spawners, right? If I have a relatively clean bottom, wouldn't they pretty much stay with what I have stocked?

I think there are other ways as well, but no expert on this am I, so wait for someone with experience to chime in on that. I believe you are correct though.



Yes, they should.

CC are cavity spawners, and if you don't have the cavities for them, nor the type of steep bank that they can create their own cavity, they will reabsorb the eggs/milt and not spawn. I've had CC in my pond since I bought the place in '02 and I haven't had a spawn yet.

If you want to hand feed, I'd still look into putting an automatic feeder on it. Much easier schedule wise and they will still eat if you throw out food by hand, especially 1/2 hr before their scheduled feeding time.

I'm having a hard time catching the CC in my pond - they get very shy once hooked, or when they see a buddy yanked out of the water.

If you don't want a self sustaining population of LMB in the pond, I'd stock HBG, RES, HSB and a dozen female LMB. With that combo, I'd make sure I had a feeder going, or plan on hand feeding 2x day. If the pond was dug this year, I'd stock 20# of FHM in there as soon as there was a couple feet of water, and when it was half full I'd stock 20# of GSH. Hopefully they (the FHM) will pull off a spawn at least once before next year.

I'd make sure that I had all the cover ready to put in the pond as soon as it was finished.

Then next Spring stock the predators. Next Fall would be even better. Don't plan on the FHM being in the pond for more than a year after stocking the predators. Hopefully the GSH will become established enough to keep a viable population.

I wouldn't stock the LMB until the predator fish in the pond are large enough to be too big of a meal for the LMB.

It'd be great of you could get female feed trained LMB, but that will be hard to do.

Consider aerating, and once the water cools down in the fall, you could stock 50 or so RBT for fishing during the winter. They will eat pellets even with ice on the pond if there is open water. Plan on catching them out before the water temps hit 70 deg in the late spring. (or they will die)

Guys, I keep looking at all of my options and one things keep coming back. I want low maintenance. I definitely want channel cat. Are HBG going to be my best bet.

I'd love to have big coppernose. I am concerned that I would lose some fish in the winter. I'm sure I'd have some success with them here, but just not sure that they would be any better than native BG as far as size goes. I want something that I can feed off of the dock and occassionally catch.

I've fished for catfish for years and one of my favorite baits is live sunfish. Would the Channel cats not keep what little offspring the HBG produce in check???

Maybe get my hands on a few female LMB?

More thoughts please. The pond will be 3/4 acre. I might add that I would not really ever be interested in killing off the pond and starting over again after this renovation is complete.....maybe BG are my best option then?

Not really interested in eating the fish. I'd catch and eat some occassionally.

CC and HBG will work with feeding. See this link.

Don't see a link, but I've probably already read it during one of my 1,000,000 searches.

The link is down. MSU managing hybrid sunfish.

Eric is this it?

Thank you. It is not the original material but is updated and changed. It is a very good place to start and covers HBG + CC.

Alright guys, I have about decided to go with HBG. I think they will be easiest for me to control with their limited reproduction. I will have channel cats in the pond.

How many HBG would you stock initially? Also, I'm considering female LMB for population control. How many bass would it take in a 3/4 acre pond to control the HBG offspring?

The bass could be stocked at a later date.. I'd play it by ear..

I'd toss at least a couple hundred HBG in there. Make durn sure that the LMB are properly sexed, and yes, I think the only way to be 100% sure is to catch them before they drop their eggs and check that way.

You might want to put in 25 RES too. They'll help control any snails that would be a host to parasitic grubs. (white, yellow or black) They don't reproduce near as much as BG.

I second the RES suggestion....

Not me. I suggest HBG (300) , CC (30) and HSB ( 10 8-12 inch fish or 20 4 inch fish) provided you will be feeding. That combo will do well on feed , have limited reproduction , and be aggressive (except the old CCs). Take out the CC by 3 to 4 lbs. Put and take fishery - replace them as you take them out + a mort factor of 10% a year).

I second this + RES. No LMB. We're making sure the title of this thread remains accurate.

I don't know if I can find HSB around here.

update: found some. Dang, they're pricey. 5.00 each/100 minimum. Don't know of anyone else here in OK that can get them.

Worth it.

Is that 100 fish minimum, or $100.00 worth of fish minimum? If you're talking 20 fish, then I'd jump on it. But there is no way I would spend $500 on HSB. No way, no how. Maybe you could find a few more people to split the amount?

I've mentioned here before that I think the HBG and HSB combo could work well. However, I have LMB in my HBG pond and so far haven't had any issues with over reproduction. Since I eliminated the pondweed with Whitecap, AND since my water level is down a foot or so, the fry have virtually no escape. I watched the bass hammering yoy LMB last night. And, with the exception of a few individuals, they don't eat pellets, which saves me money and keeps their appetite primed for the job at hand - population control. On themselves, and HBG.

I love hungry, skinny LMB. I think they would eat each other before they would starve. At least, that's what I'm seeing so far...

We're talking 100 fish minimum. 500.00

I think I'll go with skinny largemouth!