Hi,

I will be starting construction of my second pond tomorrow and wanted to get some advice on stocking fish from my other pond. My goal in this new pond is to create a solid LMB fishery. The new pond should be approx 3/4 acres in size. I have been pleased with the results of my other pond which is entering year 3 and still has plentiful forage. So I plan to model my stocking plan around what worked there. Here are the species I have available and my current thoughts on stocking and/or questions I may have:

• Fathead Minnows - I think this is a no brainer. I have a large number of these in my other pond to move over. I would start them asap and give them a few months to get started.
• Gambusia Minnows -Same as above.
• Coppernose BG- I have an abundance of BG fry(and possibly RES) that I would move over after the minnows have had a few months. It would prob be a mix of 1" to 5" fish that are in ready supply.
• Largemouth - Here's where I have some questions. My existing pond has F1 bass that definitely spawned a few weeks ago. I dont have any proof that recruitment occurred yet, but assuming it did, would it be a bad idea to move F1 offspring over? I have read some posts on here about potential genetic depression with Fx generations, although it sounds like there are other more important factors. I am not going for a world record here....I just want fish that grow at normal rates, are able to reproduce, and are easy to catch.

Any advice on any of these, but especially the bass, would be appreciated.

I see no problem other than handling mortalities.

Good point. I have some of those giant igloo coolers and a battery operated aeration system. Thinking I can run small batches back and forth on the UTV. I actually have one of those 220 gal totes that I have been debating converting into a livewell...just thinking it might be overkill for such a short trip. I was planning on castnetting fish but just thought about the possibility of some fish traps.

Did I miss where you stated how far apart the ponds are?

No, I failed to mention that. Its 300 or 400 yards. Here is a picture for perspective.

I may have the new pond done if it wasnt for my rental dozer constantly having issues. First a hydraulic line, then a hydraulic filter, now some sort of control module has failed that renders it totally unusable. Some pics of the progress, although probably better suited for another sub forum.

Contours don't show up very well from aerial photo's but the red streak of clay is the core of the dam which is about two thirds completed at this point. Fortunately we have no rain in the forecast so I should be able to get everything done this week once the replacement dozer is delivered.

So I went down to the original pond today with my brother. He pointed out a tight ball of bait in the middle of the deep water. It looked odd to me because I have never seen my baitfish do that. So I yanked my jerkbait through it to see if I could snag a few for closer inspection. Low and behold, it was a school of LMB fingerlings! The one I snagged was maybe .75 inches. I bet there were over a thousand in the school. Now I am debating whether I should try to catch some and build a grow out tank or just let them do their thing until fall. Either way, excited to have them around!