Here is the path I would take. For starters stock your FHM, shiners and YP fingerling and 4"-6"ers first. If there is no pellet feeding then use around 200-250 YP/ac; mixed any way with fingerling and 4"-6", some FHM at 40 lb/ac and GSH at 24 lb/ac. OR in spring stock FHM at 12 lb/ac and GSH 8 lb/ac allow spawning, then in fall add the YP. After the minnows & YP spawn then add the CP. At first start with fewer CP such as 20-30/ac until you know how well the forage fishes (YP&minnows) are surviving and if the CP are spawning with survival. Spawning and recruiting CP will make your management efforts much more complicated as far as time involved in determining numbers and manually adding fish or harvesting.
Consider this - if you are a regular and experienced CP angler, you should be able to catch your CP prespawn or early post spawn when you can determine the sex - male or female. Post spawn female will have a reddened, swollen and stretched genital opening. Then just stock single sex fish,, this way you will be able to much better control the number of CP and how many forage fish esp YP and adult shiner that are surviving. I don't think the larger CP will eat a lot of FHM and small shiner and these smaller forage fish will feed the YP population. Unless I miss my guess, I think the CP of 16"-24" will focus on eating larger YP (4"-6"). It is not important to stock all CP are one time. It would actually be better in the small 0.2-0.5 ac pond, to stock 3-6 each year until you get the numbers of CP to where the forage-YP balance appears acceptable. As you add CP you will see a decline in certain sizes of forage species, if you regularly monitor the entire forage fish community (all sizes FHM-GSH-YP). Lots of forage and numerous smaller thin bodied YP (4"-6"), then add a few more CP. Too few surviving harvestable YP, very few adult shiners, then remove some CP. You should be able to harvest in a clear water pond around 25-30 lb of YP/ac. FYI four 8" YP weigh about a pound. Thus your clear water 0.3 ac pond should be able to produce a harvest of 25-35 8" YP per year.
Keep us advised as to your progress. Numerous members are interested in your CP adventure.
Last edited by Bill Cody; 01/11/14 11:17 PM.
