Pond Boss Forums STOCKING A NEW POND Types of fish to choose Fish ID HBG or BG

Stocked the pond 7 weeks ago at 2". Been feeding optimal BG Jr. for the last 5 weeks and they measure 4" now. When I stocked them they had more color, just wondering how I know for sure I got BG and not Hybrids

Both are pure strain BG. 1st picture could be of a young male and 2nd pic could be a female, but more positive identification will be possible when they reach 8" which could be by September. Keep feeding them daily and they will keep growing fast. They might spawn for you in July or August.

Thanks Bill! I've done some reading but what would you recommend on feeding rates? My pond is 1/2 acre and currently I'm feeding 6 secs twice a day. They clean it up right at 10 mins. Anytime I'm at the pond and throw feed they go crazy. What's the down side to feeding more or feeding three times a day? Will I see growth gains or at some point is it just a waste?

Couple photos of the pond. Don't know if it matters but the pond is pretty deep. Between 35-40' at some points

Depth doesn't help. The thermocline will limit where the fish stay. Of course, in a drought it is impossible to have too much water.

Some of the feeding rate has to do with how many fish there are per acre. If it takes them 10 min to consume a feeding then that is right at the suggested amount. Your growth rate as noted above is optimum. When as the fish get larger and consume food faster you can increase the feed time by a second or two every few weeks. The other option is to do as you suggest feed 3 times per day as long as all the food is consumed at each feeding.

Those are BG not HBG. BG have small stomachs and feeding more often is better than twice a day. How much they eat is dependent on metabolism which is controlled by water temps. (most fish are cold blooded).

I was doing some more reading and saw a post where it was suggested to put RES in with the BG to eat snails etc. I have a 1/2 acre pond and stocked 1000 BG. Would it be a good idea to add some RES? And I'm guessing 15-20 LMB in the fall?

If you plan on harvesting fish from the pond, then RES will consume snails to help reduce fish parasite problems. RES often 'struggle' to maintain good densities when in with BG and LMB. A 'strong' RES population usually will essentially eliminate all the snails from a pond. If very large snails are present then that specie often can tolerate RES predation.

A few of the southern fish management places for growing good LMB suggest: ""Bluegill fingerlings should be stocked into new or renovated ponds at a rate of 1,000-2,000 per acre from October through March. Fall or early winter stockings are recommended to allow for maximum bluegill growth and reproduction before the bass are introduced in June. In established ponds that have become "bass-crowded", intermediate-sized bluegill are often introduced at the rate of 500-2,000 per acre to directly feed stunted bass and enhance the reproductive capacity of the bluegill population."

Since you added 1000BG into 0.5 ac you are at the higher stocking recommendation for panfish. Normally the RES will not eat pellets. If you see that snails are common in your pond and you plan to harvest panfish then you could stock some RES depending on how many snails are present for RES to eat. The existing 1000 BG are monopolizing the natural panfish foods. Adding some RES at 100-200 in 0.5ac could survive enough to provide snail control.

I haven't noticed many snails yet but did find a large apple snail so I may have a snail problem in my future. I do plan to harvest BG from the pond to eat.

Do I have any other options besides LMB to keep my BG population in check? CC or Hybrid stripers maybe?

Pickerel might work, depending on whether you have a shallow weedy area in your pond, water quality, the laws and regulations in LA, and other specifics of the pond and just what it is you're looking for in the predator species.

Research Blue Catfish. They a little more aggressive and swim faster than CC.

You could try a combination of predators (HSB , BC , other). That is far less manageable and complicated than a single species predator (LMB). You could also try adding just 1 LMB to the mix or just females. but that has risks as well.