Pond Boss Forums STOCKING A NEW POND Raising Forage and Bait Stocking forage species...a timeline

You can do HBG but you need to stock pure adults from time to time to keep genetics from reverting to GSF per Cody's/Tony's advice in previous threads. I am a big HBG believer now, thanks to guys like Bruce Condello and Tony Livingston. I urge you to stick around, read copiously, and see if your attitudes don't change. There's no right or wrong here, but you may come around like I did.

If you decide to go PS, and you're at 8 acres, you can consider stocking HSB and WE to help trim PS numbers. YP will also feast on YOY PS, that will help. My SMB, HBCP, HSB, WE, YP help keep my BG population managed to a degree, so it absolutely can be done, but you'll have to provide additional PS management techniques to get there. Additional species have different hunting preferences and can help provide a more comprehensive approach to management. OK, this last part I think just sounds like a solid justification to anyone who wants to know why you're spending $ on ladder stocking WE and HSB annually...it worked for me at home, anyhow!

Supplemental feeding program on an 8 ac lake I would advise a client to install at least 2, if not 3 feeders, throwing at least 50# a monthly. Monthly cost would be $100-$120 for 3 feeders. NY feeding window I'm guessing at mid April through mid October - so rough cost annually is $600-$700. I feed 50# on my 2.5 ac pond monthly and my apex predators are all robust with ample additional forage available. If PS populations are getting dense, you can slow down or stop feeders for a period of time until you witness population thinning.

If your SMB stocking density is low, say 25-30/ac, I think you could easily have an average size of 2.5-3.5#. Bill identified it's important to keep SMB recruitment low, or manage their population selectively so you don't limit resources and therefore top end size. Keep thriving fish present - remove or harvest anything that isn't.

I think YP will perform well here, and your fishery could also host HSB and WE if that interests you. Ladder stock the latter two species.