Looks like I am going to stock:
400 3-4" BG
100 Redear
30 HSB
15lb of FHM
Seem right? Will continue to add sanctuary fish structures.
They advised it's better and much cheaper to add the 3-4" size BG vs 5-6" size which are 3x the price.
DISCLAIMER: I am not a fisheries management expert. I am an amateur with a mature 2.2 ac pond in central MO and I'm very happy with the advice I've received on Pond Boss to achieve my goals.
That said, I think this plan sounds like they want to sell you fish. You have a mature pond and the LMB will quickly eat your 3"-4" stocker BG and all the FHM for little gain. It takes 10# of forage to add 1# of body weight to an LMB -- so your 15# of FHM won't go very far and won't live long enough to reproduce.
I wouldn't buy any fish right now until you understand what's happening with your population dynamics. Before you buy anything, go fishing! Record the species, length AND weight of every fish you catch. Even data from three sessions will help us understand what's going on. I suspect you have too many apex predators (CC and LMB) and the answer will be to remove some of them before adding any fish.
It sounds like your goal is first and foremost to have a lot of action for the kids. Sounds super fun! But it's hard to have big bluegill, five pound largemouth, and ten pound channels in a 1.25 ac pond. There's just no way to have enough forage for all those predators. Additionally, it's hard to manage the fish populations in a way that produces that kind of weight distribution.
If you harvest a lot of BG of the right size & sex and let the LMB overpopulate and stunt, you'll get big (but relatively rare) BG. If you harvest a lot of LMB of the right size, you'll get big LMB and lots of relatively small BG.
Please, give Shawn Banks at midwestlake.com a call and tell him Pond Boss sent you. He sells and delivers fish, too, but he's a real pond management specialist and will help you get the pond you that matches your goals. He's in Polo, MO.
