Pond Boss Forums Thread Like Summary - 2.25 SA pond - build a fishery

I LOVE to eat YP and WE. I LOVE to catch SMB.

Bill (all) - For my "renovated" and fish free 2.5 acre pond In UpperMid- OH, 1075' elevation (2.5 acre pond gone...) I'm looking to start with the YP-SMB-WE, I've shied away from a a pellet thrower as I'm not at the property 80% of time and looking to stock forage- not the most cost efficient method but one I can implement within the times I'm at the property.

I have LOTS of cover and structure in the pond, I was thinking of starting w FHM and GSH with TP when the predator species get large enough to consume those. I plan water chemical testing in Feb (60 days) and amend if necessary in Mar. I saw you suggest GSF as an additional species - I have zero experience with them except as a stunted pond edge fish in a LMB-BG pond.

Q1) Is the Depth 11-12' sufficient for WE?

Q2) With vertebrate barren 2.25 acre 11' deep pond with lots of cover and structure what stocking rate and which species should I stock in order?
- I've read stock the forage the 1st spring and predators 'later' but asking for advice w zero predators or prey in the water with this lineup.

Q3) Should I add any other forage species since I do not plan to toss pellets.

Thanks in advance - my local hatchery (Fenders) has all the species above - it's just about dialing it in with the vast knowledge on this forum.

In New York Golden shiners spawn over an extended period from May to July. Females deposit adhesive eggs over filamentous algae and submerged weed beds. After spawning, the eggs are abandoned. Adults are usually less than 6 inches long.

Reproduction begins in the spring when the water temperature reaches 68ºF and continues for several months until the water temperature exceeds 81ºF. A pound of golden shiners may produce over one-half million eggs in a season. Golden shiners are broadcast spawners; they lay adhesive eggs on submersed vegetation, or in culture ponds, on mats of latex-coated coconut fiber. The small eggs (~1-mm diameter) hatch in three to five days, depending on water temperature.

Spawning mats are added to the pond during the spawning season when water temperatures reach 70F (21.1C), typically April to June in north Florida. The number of mats placed in the pond varies with spawning activity, and it is important to use the minimum number necessary to ensure high use of each mat and to prevent unused mats from getting fouled with dirt and algae. Mats are placed level along the shore at 1–2 (2.5–5 cm) water depth.

If the pond has real shallow weeds or filamentous algae this structure should provide substrate for GSH to lay their eggs. artificial materials see below.

Mats.
http://www.beemerfisheries.com http://www.beemerfisheries.com/mats.html

Spawntex spawning mat.
https://pentairaes.com/spawntex-spawning-mat.html

This is used for Kio and carp spawning and could work for GSH. you can use tightly packed Spanish Moss or frayed nylon rope to create the mat. Some breeders even use evergreen branches. Generally speaking, anything that is nontoxic and about 4 inches deep will work.

Alternate option for collecting eggs. The egg mats consist of 3.5-foot by 2.5-foot metal frames that weigh about 20 pounds and are filled with a material similar to that used for a furnace filter. Mats are deployed by being gradually lowered to the river bottom from the bow of a boat. Furnace filters would work as smaller mats.

Another method of collecting eggs. As water temperatures reach 68 °F, place synthetic substrates or mats (Spawntex®) around the shallow edge of the pond for the females to lay their eggs on. Mats are about 2 inches thick and made of coconut fibers with a latex binder. This material is generally purchased by the roll and will need to be cut into smaller sections, about 3 feet by 2 feet is recommended. Attach the cut sections to a wire frame, and then suspend the sections below the water surface. This can be done using floats as in the picture shown but other methods will work as well (Figure 6.1). The mat material is too dense to allow fish to pass through, but each mat has sufficient void spaces to allow eggs to be trapped and retained. The mats should be left in the pond 3-7 days depending on the rate of egg deposition and temperature.

That is why I posted that info. Not a lot of people know his tidbit of GSH spawning habit.

If one is creative and resourceful he should be able to find a good substitute to the commercial spawning mats. I have read where shag carpet works good for GSH spawning. IF money is an issue check with some carpet installers and tell them you will pay for used throw away shag carpet. Otherwise just by spawning mat material. Even buying new cheap shag carpet 3ft to 4ft wide from a Big Box store roll might be cheaper than buying commercial spawning mats. I would look into both options before "pulling the trigger".

Your stocking plan looks okay to me. SMB in the 1st fall should work really well since there will be a full summer season of minnow, RES and maybe YP breeding and recruitment. You will be very surprised how many small fish will be present the first fall if you follow your plan. Okay - add several WE in years 2 to 3 if small fish are still obviously abundant. If you feed pellets and or some crushed, ground pellets minnow abundance should be very obvious. Minnows will quickly learn where ground feed in distributed.

The only thing that might be hard to find is the larger sized RES and SMB.

GSH spawning area can also be grass that is flooded. A customer typically has a lower pond level in early Spring. Grass will start to grow, then the pond level rises and the GSH spawn like crazy on the flooded grassy areas.