My BOW has gone from too little vegetation up until last year to too much this year. Everything shallower than 5 or 6 feet covered with vegetation, and it is extending into deeper water. Shallower end of BOW is almost entirely covered.

Part of the fault is mine, as I fertilized heavily this year, total of 85 lbs in 7.5 acre pond. Got the bloom I wanted and huge CNBG numbers, but also supercharged vegetation growth. Many places that used to be covered with beds are now covered with weeds.

American Pondweed is in pond but isn't going crazy. Problematic stuff looks a lot like nitella (doesn't have strong odor of chara). I do have TP so no algae issues.

I'd like to stock maybe a couple of dozen 12" grass carp to help keep things from getting totally out of control. I have 5 lb LMB and HSB, so don't want smaller carp that would be quickly consumed.

I don't want so many carp that all vegetation disappears, just enough to keep a balance. Thus, I'd rather understock than overstock.

Any advice? I will also ask this of Bob Lusk tonight, but would love to hear from anybody who has stocked grass carp.

I'm no B. Lusk but we've stocked many thousands of grass carp in 150 ac or less ponds since 1981.
Not going to guess what Bob would say but we found the best option was 20 per acre then start controlling grass carp when needed.

I never stock more than 3 per acre myself or for clients...removal is difficult [for me] therefore the reasoning behind the low stocking numbers.

Kenny how do you "control" existing populations if you decide the population is too dense? Only way I'm aware of is to electroshock...but I have the need to manage populations in a few different ponds this Summer and could use the direction.

Electrofishing is the best method, maybe not an option for some.
Bow fishing can be effective as well but takes time.
We found early-on that the cool part of electrofishing was that it kills about 90%. They don't handle current well as most species will.

TJ, the problem with low stockings is to achieve the goal and "keep up", they become so large they start to disturb water quality by stirring up bottom sediment-bad, yet good if it kills visibility-but you already know the complications that brings..
I should also add..."it all depends" on quantity and type of vegetation.
Lower rates may be best for most but when they start achieving that 30lb + mark, it's damn hard to turn that damage around as well.

I have found that a 22 rifle solves a lot of problems.

and not just in pond management.

Do not stock grass carp unless you love dirty water, algae blooms, and small bass. Install aeration first and see if that works.

anthropic , I'll throw in my non expert two cent's to this topic for what it's worth.(Not Much)

When I purchased my BOW (10Ac.) I'd say at least 30% of it was full of Southern Niad. To the point of you couldnt really fish those areas. So I put 30 Grass carp in. I had read 5 to 10 per acre. went with 3per.
By the end of the second year they had completely wiped out the Southern Niad. Which I was concerned because I now have pretty much no cover. But Right now I'm still in the wait and see stage because I have BC and it seems that the LMB are keeping them in check(stocked eight years ago). We'll see. I have no issues with them keeping my water stirred up at all and the grass carp I see are all 30-36" in length. Just wondering if I haven't stumbled into a way the manage for BC. Doubtful but so far my BC,BG and LMB seem to be thriving.Like I said No expert just sharing my observations.

Be careful what you wish for when it comes to Grass Carp stocking. We have a 54 acre lake in TN that had 425 GC introduced between 2009 & 2012 to control an American Pondweed issue. 1o years later they are all 30", 20 pounds. They have figured out the 7 Sweeney feeders perfectly, right on schedule each throw,every day. We catch a few and harvest but they have a strong group communication skill set, they are not easy to harvest. 2019 has us trying bow fishing as a better solution. Time will tell if this is a better strategy. My opinion is less is better, a few per acre, you can always add if needed.

Thanks for all the input! One thing I'll definitely do next year is go easier on the fertilizer, even if I don't get the bloom I want. Also I'll focus on fertilizing earlier in the year when the water is cooler.

I like to electrosurvey every year, which based on what Snipe says may be a way of controlling GC if they start causing problems. But even if I do stock GC, it's going to be low numbers. Once they come to the feeders it will be time to introduce them to a 22.

Wouldn't mind herbicide treatments in certain areas, but as Bob L says, it's like mowing the lawn.

Anthro- like ewest pointed out a few weeks back, even applying small amounts of fertilizer that don't necessarily cause visible blooms can have positive effects on fry survival rates and general supplementation of food for the food chain. I agree on your plan to lessen fertilizer next year - just like Hendog was saying- you can always add grass carp. Same goes with fertilizer. I'm more of a tip-toer in the pond game but that's my personal philosophy.

I've stocked grass carp in 3 of my BOW at low numbers with fairly positive results. I stocked approx. 4 per acre in all 3 BOW 3 years ago with varying success among each. I generally have seen a difference and at low numbers they will not denude the pond. Overall good experience with GC, I would go for it.