I like the advice and ideas that have been good and very relative for an unusual first stocking of just a couple sizes of bluegill(BG) with no predators into a 0.5 acre pond. Indeed - an unusual first fish stocking. A 10 month later sampling of bluegill(BG) with a couple types of traps and a brief seine survey using a 50ft long minnow seine revealed the stocked BG are growing and the new 2025 crop of BG now range in size of 1.3” to 2.0”.

I contacted Brad Biller and provided my bass stocking advice for his goals of ultimately having generally bigger sizes of BG. My advice was very similar to what has been suggested by the PB Forum members.. In addition to what the LMB moderators suggested that be stocked, I suggested to also add some 3”-4” LMB who would focus only on eating the new 2026 crop of hatchling BG.

As an update, here is what B.Biller said he has done as of May 19 2026. Note the pond now has at least 3 to maybe 5 year classes of LMB.
Bass Added were as of 5/19/26 – 125 3”-4”; 12-6-8 “; 10 8”-10”; 10 -10”-12”; and 13 of 12”+ inch bass. Originally Mr Biller ordered a few more numbers of the medium bass, then he changed his order and asked the Fish Farm for some of the smallest 3”-4” bass as a substitute for a few of the medium size bass. Well the fish farm did what IMO many fish farms do and over provided 125 of smallest LMB to replace seveal of the medium size bass. IMO the number of smallest 3”-4” LMB should have been closer to numbers of 20-30 instead of 125. IMO likely a good number of the smallest bass will now be fish food for the larger sizes of bass.

Now going forward, I think Mr.Biller’s pond management challenge will be to monitor the numbers and sizes of BG to achieve fewer numbers of larger BG so all remaining BG have excess foods so they can then grow to sizes that meet his goals of having larger BG for his pond.

I am currently and slowly working on a general idea of how many pounds of BG and bass his clear water 5ft-8ft transparency new pond will be able to grow to have carrying capacity in very clear water of 5ft to 8ft without pellet feeding. Stay tuned for what I come up with for BG and LMB pounds that the pond can grow.