Pond Boss Forums STOCKING A NEW POND Types of fish to choose New Pond Stocking

With the existing YP and SMB, walleye (WE) could be later added as a bonus fish providing the SMB are not allowed to be too abundant and some predation is needed to keep the YP at densities desired for the goals of the pond. IMO each WE will at least take the place of one SMB. In that the WE will be eating what fish that SMB was or would have been eating. Thus harvesting one adult SMB could be replaced with one WE who will not be reproducing and recruiting more walleye. Keep in mind the SMB will each year be reproducing and recruiting new smallies into the pond as more predators and overall fishery competition occurs, THUS the SMB numbers need to be watched and controlled. also keep in mind the adult YP are also preferring to eat small usually 'minnow' type fish. Too many predators in the pond can easily over crop the YP causing fewer harvest of YP. Number of predators need to be balanced with numbers of prey so goals are achieved. For a BG-LMB pond the prey-predator ratio is usually at least 10 to 1 and sometimes 20:1 or more.

Note - I help manage some 0.2-0.5 ac YP only ponds where there are ONLY 1, 2, or 3 predators in the entire pond lacking habitat to control the YP reproduction. With pellet feeding this allows for good harvest each year of the YP (usu. 9"-13" some 14"-15"). Size of the predator has a lot to do with the amount of and size of fish it eats. Larger predators as growing predators eat more pounds of fish each year. . Management, management, management.

Note in "esshup and TJ" posts below that the amount of or lack of cover and good habitat can be very important for the success of the fishery. Achieving a long term high quality fishery is not a matter of just stocking the fish. Management, management, management.