I will not be feeding or restocking (maybe a pipe dream), so I want fish that can breed (SMB vs. HSB). I may not have luck with the SMB due to my watershed for this pond being a soybean/corn field on adjacent land. Even with a settling pond, I expect fertilizer input depending on the timing of rains, so I will need to see if I get algal blooms. If things look good, I may add paddlefish which are also filter feeders, but will not contribute otherwise to the food chain (I hope). I am now thinking about going slow with 5 lbs of FHM and collected forage species (BNM, darters, creek chubs, etc.) this spring followed by RES and GSH this fall, and SMB the following fall. I could go faster, but I want to be sure that the forage species are plentiful before I add the SMB. I also want to get aquatic plants established before adding crayfish, but they will likely add themselves. I will be pushing dead spruce trees out on the ice this weekend and may start adding honey locust branches as a plant protector for geese.
