Pond Boss Forums STOCKING A NEW POND Creating the food chain New pond stocking

Hi everyone. This spring we completed our 1.5 acre pond located in NE Iowa. Its currently 12 out of 20' deep. I've got a bunch of structure in it already, trees and rocks. I stocked it with fat head minnows a couple months ago, and they've spawned. The pond is loaded with bugs, and the leapord and bullfrogs are moving in.

Originally, as soon as it was half full our pond guy wanted us to get it stocked with everything. But now that I am watching this ecosystem develop, I feel like I should take it slow. I'd almost like to see the FHM spawn some more, and see the frogs actually reproduce. Build that forage food base first. Maybe stock fish next year?

Is this a good idea? Or is it inevitable that I will just need to feed them pellets anyway so just get it stocked? I am in no hurry, I want a successful pond for the long haul. Or maybe I can just add a species of fish at a time? I was planning to run feeders, but if I can feed the fish for free, I'd rather do that!.

The plan was for bluegill, largemouth, redear, and perch.

Thanks in advance

Hello and welcome.

To channel Bob Lusk a little, if you still buy green bananas, take it at whatever speed you like.

A pond full of FHM and bugs will allow your new stockers to grow well (next year).

You comment: "I am watching this ecosystem develop, I feel like I should take it slow. I'd almost like to see the FHM spawn some more, and see the frogs actually reproduce. Build that forage food base first. Maybe stock fish next year? Is this a good idea? "

IMO what you are doing is a very good idea. Once you put the bass in,,,,,, ALL the FHM will be gone soon after the first spawn recruitment year class of the bass. With the stocking plan of BG,RES, YP and largemouth, this Fall I would add the fingerling BG, RES and YP. This gets these panfish established and could provide some fry from the some of the early panfish spawn as or when bass are stocked in Spring early summer of 2027.

Because the FHM will be eliminated in 2028 regardless of how many small FHM you now have and by Fall you might want to stock some golden shiners (GSH) in Fall (3-6lbs) or when you stock the LMB. This method will provide small shiner forages for the longer term after the FHM are depleted.

My experiences are RES as their second generation will be a rare catch by anglers unless you have abundant deeper (6-8ft) water structure in multiple groupings of trees called FISH CITIES. Fish cities increase fish production in the water where it is added. Listen to this:
https://www.buzzsprout.com/976324/episodes/3322504-episode-001-fish-habitats

These fish cities will also strongly benefit the yellow perch who as later generations really struggle to maintain good populations when living with big mouthed LMB and a lack of fish cities or lack of weed bed vegetation areas. YP are a slender bodied panfish and LMB really like selectively eating the juveniles and young perch adults versus those can lid shaped bluegills. GSH will take some of the predatory pressure off the YP while allowing continued great growth of your LMB providing you don't allow the LMB to become over abundant. Slow growth of LMB very often means you have too many bass, and not enough good habitat.

Thanks for the input Bill!

Being the most pressure will be coming from the LMB...would it be smart to hold off on them for a year or two or three?

I'd almost be ok without having them at all, kinda prefer the panfish, but Ive been told by many you have to have BG and LMB for sure.

You don't "have to have" BG and LMB. If you have BG, you pretty much need LMB to control the BG numbers. If you are going to have YP, the presence of LMB will likely require restocking the perch as they are a preferred prey due to their fusiform shape.

The YP, RES and (if you can get them and provide spawning beds) SMB combo is always an option. IF you can't get SMB, you could stock the RES and YP and see how things go (Cody successfully manages ponds with just YP in them). BG and/or LMB are cheap to add later on if needed or desired.

I have seen many new pond owners get excellent advice from our experts on the forum, but then they call their fish supplier and the recommended species and size of fish are NOT available.

Have you selected your fish supplier yet? If not, I would start researching that piece of the puzzle right now. Perhaps even get more than one if you have options within your driving perimeter.

I would then ask which fish are available for stocking this fall. And also ask which fish thrive in your area after fall stockings.

I am NOT an expert, but I would consider stocking your less prolific species this fall to give them a head start. Specifically, your Yellow Perch and the RES. They will love a pond full of FHMs with bugs, frogs, and snails. I am not even sure they alone can consume more than the reproduction rate for that type of forage, so you might not even be costing yourself any future reduction of forage.

[Just thinking out loud, please disregard if this advice is rebutted below by some of our pond management experts.]

Thanks for the replies Theo and Fishin! I hadnt thought about small mouth, thats actually a pretty good idea.

I was dealing with a fish supplier that could get me anything I wanted. But they want to bring me everything at once since they're 2 hours away. I have another supplier an hour away I need to talk to yet, but I think they'll only be able to get me BG and LMB. I have a couple farm stores here that have "fish days", I need to look into them yet. So I do have some options to get ahold of fish.

User - Other members have suggested SMB with the yellow perchYP instead of LMB and I firmly agree with initially using SMB instead of LMB,,,,, If and a BIG IF you do not add bluegill (NO Bluegill with SMB) as first sportfish stocking. Go with the SMB and YP and RES. see 3rd paragraph

My comments about using and having RES basically still apply with the SMB as predators. I question if your "fish supplier" can actually get you the SMB when you need them. WHO IS YOUR PROMISING SUPPLIER of getting you anything??
IMO most fish suppliers can promise most anything and rarely produce, especially when it comes to having SMB when you need to have the SMB for a timely stocking. Note - SMB are most commonly available in Fall and rarely available in Spring. SMB are a premium stocker fish so get your wallet out for them.

With the above fishery YP,RES, FHM and initially maybe some shiners, it provides you later with other sportfish stocking options. When using SMB,, I would not let the YP/RES go more than one spawn season ahead of adding SMB because the YP are and can be prolific spawners. A reproducing SMB population is not of a big predatory force on YP as LMB. Reproducing LMB can easily eliminate subadult YP. Thus with lack of SMB predatory force too many YP initially usually results in slow growing YP and not as many regularly big YP for harvest. My experience is good well managed YP populations usually results in lots of YP in the 8"-10" range with good numbers during angler harvest in the 11"-12" -13" range.



REMEMBER if you are ever dissatisfied with the progress of the SMB-YP fishery, years later you can always resort to the BG/LMB by just adding BG and LMB. Those two will easily outcompete both YP and SMB in the long term. HOWEVER with an initial basis of BG/LMB you essentially cannot successfully change it into a SMB/YP fishery unless you completely start over.

You do not have to have ALL species stocked at the same time!!! . You can easily haul fish yourself 2hrs, 3hrs even 4 hours if the fish are initially healthy and properly placed in Oxygenated bags for transport. I have done this many times and I am still regularly doing it. Fish transport is always best done when water temps are less than 70F-72F with 55F to 65F temps as being the best successful transport and survival results. Stocker fish can also be transported for hours during in cool weather in larger containers with good quality oxygenators; not bait bucket aerators.

Theo above mentions that Cody successfully manages ponds with only YP in them,,, but this is a very slippery slope and has to be managed and monitored with special methods to make it a good YP production pond of regularly harvestable jumbo perch. YP really need to have decent, balanced and appropriate predation pressure to make it a really premium YP fishery.

PS - IMO I would never buy fish from a traveling fish truck. #1 There is no recourse if the fish die. Plus other negatives often occur.

We are here for ideas and help with questions. Just post them on the PB Forum.

Thanks x 100 Bill! This is what I've been really needing, honest answers. In the last year of planning the pond Ive felt like there was only 1 option, BG and LMB. I'm really glad I decided to ask in here. I might go back to my supplier thats 2hrs away and ask about YP, RES, and SMB. Even if i have to go get them myself. I think I'd like that, it sounds more manageable then BG and LMB. I like having options, like if the first stocking fails I can just do BG and LMB easily.

And I'll get shiners too.

User - Okay, Ionia is in Nebraska, not Michigan.

I think I would put the Golden shiners in when the predators go in because I think the GSH can become overly abundant without some predators established for controlling the spawn from the GSH. GSH would be considered a longer term forage minnow after the FHM are eliminated as the SMB begin recruiting new bass into the fishery.

FYI incase you ever add BG-LMB -- there is a fish producer in Kansas that grows a more northern stain of coppernose bluegill (CNBG). However for ponds that have ice cover those coppernose have fewer good temperature degree growing days that the coppernose genetics favor. IMO CNBG even the northern strain CNBG are over rated and hyped. In iced over ponds, I think a good quality northern strain BG can be raised to grow really big if the Four Big IFs are used: optimum water quality conditions, good habitat, populations are well managed, and the fish get plenty of the best high quality foods. The Four Big IFs. All Four have to really be present to consistently grow BIG bluegill. State record BG in NE is 2lb 13 oz and see this NE recent BG tipping the scales at 2 lb 3oz. It can be done with good water quality and plenty of PROPER fish management.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/448420992273529/posts/1926116864503927/

Note that yellow perch can also be grown in ponds to big sizes of 13”,14” and even some 15”ers approaching 2+ lbs. However the Four Big IFs of 1. optimum water quality conditions, 2. good habitat, 3. populations are well managed, and 4. the perch ALWAYS get plenty of the best high quality foods as all parts need to be working together for reliably growing big yellow perch (YP) year after year.

I'm actually in NE Iowa, there is an Ionia Michigan as well. Never heard of CNBG, will have to look into it.

*Also: Ionia, New York.

*You got me curious.