If I had a small (1/4 acre) pond with a mixture of pan fish (sunfish/bluegill...probably some green sunfish too (GSF)) and a few unknown sex bass...I would just stock bluegill and red ear sunfish (BG & RES...4-500 & 50-100 respectively) and let the mixed pond grow some forage fish for the first year. Then, next year, start fishing other waters for male large mouth bass (LMB) and put in about 30-50 of them in. Small LMB/BG ponds can be hard to manage and keep them from producing way too many fish that tend to stunt and stay small. By using the BG/RES and such as forage producers and trying to keep the LMB numbers to a controlled amount...you should be able to grow some large bass.
Are you sure it did not have fish in it to begin with...this would change the stocking plan I'm sure. You don't want to put in a wallets worth of fingerlings just to feed that hungry group of catfish, or otherwise. You know what I mean? Flood plains tend to stock pond all by themselves.
I'm not experienced with stocking ponds, but this would be my recommendation based on what I have learned being a part of this forum. What you are trying to do is a tough, but not impossible, goal. The nice thing about a small pond is that it is easier to start over if it does not turn out like you want.
I'm not sure about the carp...I would consider using weed killer on that before stocking carp,but then again, I don't have the proper experience to advise on the weedkiller.
Welcome to the club...it's a great place to talk ponds and learn!
Last edited by Quarter Acre; 08/28/20 09:11 AM.
