I could add some cover habitat but have avoided doing so as we occasionally use a jetski and I didn't want any injuries. There is a part of the pond that is 15+ feet deep that I could probably add something to. But would that be too deep?
I figured there was a good reason you didn't have any cover!
However, going from ZERO cover to 5% cover would be a huge benefit to your fish populations.
For the least interference with your primary recreational activities, I would probably go "too shallow" rather than too deep with the cover.
Is your pond somewhat elongated - such that they mostly make the jetski turns in certain locations? If so, maybe put some cover in the shallow water adjacent to the areas where the riders are usually making the straight portion of their runs.
If you do install cover, I would definitely mark the areas with some floats on ropes to give riders a big visual cue.
There are also all kinds of creative structures you can make that could be designed to be safe. For example, you can easily bend a 10' length of 1/2" PVC pipe such that the "bow" is facing upwards, and would be a safe landing for a falling body. You could then attach soft material to the PVC to create "fluffy" cover for your forage fish.
Now that I have the right location - I think you could definitely have a nice YP/RES pond with SMB.
[I would follow esshup's stocking advice. He is a professional pond manager in your area.]Finally, RW means "relative weight". There is a specific length to weight ratio for each different species of fish. It is a very simple, but VERY useful tool for judging the health of your fish. For example, a LMB that is 14" long should weigh about 1.5#. If all of the ones you are catching are just over 1#, then you do not have enough forage/too many bass, etc. and you need to improve the management of your pond.
Here is the link to the Relative Weight archive post. (Keep scrolling since some of the posts have become dated.)
Relative Weight - Pond Boss
