Hello, let me introduce myself. My name is Ed and I am in NE Ohio. I am new to this PB site and am really enjoying reading all the posts. I have 1/10 acre pond averaging 3 feet in depth (7 foot max.). I had it dug out 10 years a ago. All that is in it now is a good amount of black muck, my vertex new aerator running 24/7 for the past 2 weeks, and a bunch of really small frogs that jump in when I walk by.

The pond is being treated by Aqua Doc for algae and looks good now.

I don't have any long term specific plans for this pond except to get the muck cleaned up and gradually stock it with some fish for eating and fishing fun. It is located right outside our bay window and provides a beautiful view.

I am in no rush to stock. Just want to do it right. I have been reading here on PB about the importance of forage fish and the concerns about predator fish introduced to early. Is now (Sept) a good time to stock this pond? Can you help with what fish/minnows and how many.

Thanks in advance for the help!

Ed, there is never a bad time to stock fathead minnows (FHM). Nothing is going to spawn between now and spring, but you could still put some BG in now - they might grow a little over the winter and will be ready to spawn as soon as conditions are right. How about a few trout? You could put about 20 in now, feed them thru the winter and eat them in the spring - they probably won't make it thru the summer in a pond that shallow.
Good luck...

What are your goals from the pond. 1/10th of an acre, limits some of your options but you can still produce a quality fishery in a pond of that size if you intensively manage it...

In smaller ponds, I am a big fan of fish that don't reproduce or their reproduction is very limited. Species that will readily consume artificial feed are very helpful as well.

Great species for smaller ponds IMO are:

HSB
HB
CC
RES
feed trained YP
feed trained SMB
and sometimes even WE
trout(especially rainbow trout)
You can also consider tilapia for a natural algae control.

Thanks for the replies. As I understand, I it would be beneficial to stock fathead minnows for now since spawning season is over. BTW, is there a link to the acronyms for the type of fish mentions in many of the links I read on this BP site?

Thanks rmedgar, I think I'll try the fathead minnows (how many) and blue gill (how many)?

Link to acronyms

Hi Ed!!!

Glad to have another member from the Northeast Ohio area.

If it was me, I would NOT put in BG till you know more what fish you eventually want. Once they are in there, you would have to almost go with LMB to keep them under control. BG ( and LMB) can really hem in plans for other fish. Heed CJ's advice above. I believe his one acronym HB was meant to be HBG, which are easier to control versus regular BG.

FHM would be great, but be sure to check each one to make sure it's really a FHM, and not something else along for the ride to mess up further stocking plans. You wouldn't need many to get you started. I would guess a few dozen. Make sure they have spawning sites available.

Jim

Also, if you want to stock RBT this fall, it may be better to stock more FHM than I mentioned to get the ball rolling. What is Aqua Doc doing for the algae? If it is a chemical, it may have to be changed due to stocking trout, if you even go that route.

I stocked RBT last fall, and had a blast. Will be doing that again!!!!

Hi Jim, thanks for the advice.

I was planning on picking up some FHM today. I will need to look up a pic so I only get FHM. I guess I should get a few dozen. I want to get a good forage base going and growing until I decide my pond plans regarding what fish to stock.

The only plan at this time is it will be for fishing and I suppose eating some of the fish I catch, but not sure the type of fish yet. I suppose YP, WE, and RBT. Not decided here and many others I have not tried yet but read on PB how much others enjoy the taste, such as HBG for example.

Is there a local fishery you might recommend (send me an email if you do please).

Regarding the algae treatment, I believe they used Clipper.

Thanks, Ed

Ed, you're getting excellent advise. Fatheads are usually solid in bags/ by weight. One 10-12 pd back of water will contain 300-500 at least. Don't worry if you get some red/orange one - they are called "rosy reds" and are still FHMs. As you have been told, check carefully (especially for catfish)...

Thanks rmedgar. I went to a local fishery about 10 miles from my house to get the FHM. As asked for a few dozen. He said as you said, he sells these by the pound. He suggested I go to another location that can accommodate that small of an order. When I told him I have a pond with no fish at this time, I should build the rock structures now and wait until spring to add the FHM. Then additional fish in the fall. So now, not sure what to do. Help appreciated.

Thanks CJ. Did not think I could possibly grow YP or WE in my pond. That would be awesome. Right now, I am trying to determine what I should stock in the fall (now), if anything. Also, working on gathering rocks and pallets for spring spawning.

Ed

Thanks Zep for the link to the acronyms!

You just have to realize you have a small pond and need to have realistic expectations for what you can expect out of it... Having a quality aeration system run properly will be key to the success of your pond IMO.

Ed,
Up in our area there is not to many fisheries that I would go to, at least ones that would be good for every purpose. I have talked with many, and after being involved on this forum and learning how to go about long term goals, I just shake my head as to what they recommend and walk away thankful that this forum exists to keep me on the proper road to success. You might buy a single item from them if it fits your specific need. Like if they had a certain fish in a certain size. Most likely, you will have to be prepared to travel to get what you really want, and remember that EVERY fishery wants to sell anything. Only you know what your goals are, and only you can have the determination to not be steered in the wrong direction. The folks here have no financial gain in their advice, it comes from the desire to see you succeed.

So, I will still stand by my suggestion that you put in FHM. Possibly a few dozen. I think most here will agree. Put in a sunken pallet near the edge of the pond for them to spawn on. Better to buy only a few dozen that you can sort thru, than to buy hundreds later playing catch-up. Don't sort them right next to your pond as it is easy to throw a bad one in the wrong direction!!! Take pictures of ones your not sure about and post them here before stocking them, or just discard them to be safe.

i've only found a couple of fish farms in northeast ohio..would like to hear about any in the area
when i have purchased fish, i've gone towards toledo or columbus..
except for rosy red minnows.. you can get those at most big box pet store
i've got so much work to do if i want to get fish this fall, i don't know if i'll make it..

Thanks Fish and Chips,

You make several goods points. Thanks for taking the time to share your views on fisheries and how I should begin stocking my pond. I already have my pallet ready to put in at the pond's edge. Off to a local bait shop for FHMs.

Ed

Being that you are way up in the northeast corner of Ohio, it will be tougher to find places to get stockers ( unless somebody knows different?). Many pond owners travel hours to get what they want. Most of the time, your looking at only having to do it once. I have a list of places in the area, but like I said before, you better know exactly what you want before you even start contacting them.

As CJ mentions since you only have 1/10 ac you will have to stock specialty fish similar to his suggestions because you can't feasibly or easily raise very many fish in 0.1 ac. essentially because in my opinion you don't want them spawning because it would very easy to end up with too many too small fish for angler fun.

Keep in mind that the trout will be an annual fall stocking and will not survive past early to mid June due to too warm water. But if you stock (late Sept, early Oct) larger ones (12"-14") and maybe 25-40 they would grow 3"-4" by June and be fun fishing whenever you wanted. There are some trout farms within 2-3 hrs of you. This place has good trout fairly close to you: Licking County, Brandt Trout Hatchery.

Fenders Fish and Llama Farm (Coshocton Co.) has larger trout in the fall. Check to see if they have a fall delivery near you.
See this for the list of fish farms/sellers by County in Ohio.
http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/Home/FishingS...39/Default.aspx

I suggest that you get second or third opinions of pros and cons of fish choices from those here before deciding on a final plan.

I'm another fan of the non-reproducing or minimal reproducing hybrids for small ponds. While it may seem like a PITA to stock fish every year to replace the ones removed, it's a far smaller PITA than having to manage a too-large population of fish that don't grow. Plus, if the fish get too prolific, you will start to have water quality issues and algae problems.

That list of fish farms that Bill listed by the ODNR is one I had found, but was reluctant to post. It is a different link to a another list, but it is compiled by the same source(ODNR) and has many of the same dealers as the list I found. ALOT of them were/are questionable as to pond stocking ideas and suggestions. I was looking for something to fit a very specific need of what I knew was right, and boy did they have all kinds of alternatives, many of which would have lead to disastrous results.. Just be carefull.

As Bill mentioned, the trout grow fast if they have the food. I bought 11" RBT in early October, and by June they were all 16"-18". Lots of FUN!!!!!

F-n-C provides a great example of the great fishery that all small ponds can have in fall, winter and spring.

Thank you all for the suggestions!! I just added 2-3 dozen FHM today. Checked each one for FHM before adding to the fond. I will start checking the trout farms recommended to me and see if they will be making deliveries in my area. This sounds like alot of fun catching big trout in my small pond. Thank again all!

Ed

Like Bill Cody said Fenders Fish and Llama farm has really nice size trout in the fall. The golden ones are awesome. Plus if you get the chance, take a few minutes to talk to Dennis Fender... He's the founder, 8o+ yrs old & can dang near answer any question you have about fresh-water fish (his family can too)! I think there are 4 generations of Fenders working the fish farm.

I'm heading back their way in about a month for X lbs of minnows and some more golden trout if they're in stock.

Ed,

If you go the "Trout Route" this fall, just remember that you probably don't have the forage necessary for them. That's not a problem, you will just need to feed them pellets. They are a blast to watch. Some of those minnows may survive, but after the trout are gone next early summer, you will want to put some more FHM in there if you aren't seeing any. If you want, we may be able to work out a visit with me here to see if you like them. You are looking for table fare, and they can be that for sure. Just get them out of your pond soon enough next year.

In regards to your PM comment with HBG. I don't think you have to go with LMB if you want the HBG. Pros-- please correct me if I'm wrong. I think you could have other kinds of predators instead. And yes, YP are feasible too if you like that option. Just decide on which fish would be your primary interest and go from there.

Jim

Looks like the RBT is out. Getting these out before July is a no go here.

Currently thinking about the ODNR recommendations using fingerlings in the link below.
http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/wildlife/Home/fishing/pond/stocking/tabid/6233/Default.aspx

Ohio Pond Management: Stocking the Pond

Most Popular Pond Fish How Many & What Sizes of Fish to Stock When & How to Stock Fish Stocking Other Types of Fish

Some of the finest fishing in Ohio for largemouth bass, bluegills, and channel catfish can be found in farm ponds that have been properly stocked and managed. New ponds are usually stocked with fingerling largemouth bass, bluegills, and channel catfish, whereas ponds with established fish populations may periodically be supplemented by stocking larger fishes. Successful stocking is as easy as determining the type of fishing a pond owner desires and the current condition of the pond.

A properly stocked and managed pond will provide years of quality fishing. Stocking the proper kinds, sizes, and numbers of fishes will start a pond in the right direction. Most Ohio ponds are ideal for largemouth bass, bluegills, and channel catfish, and all three provide excellent fishing and fine eating. An initial stocking of a combination of these fishes is usually recommended for new or renovated ponds. Properly managed largemouth bass and bluegills will produce self-sustaining populations, whereas channel catfish usually require periodic restocking.

Stocking: http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/wildlife/Home...zesofishtostock

Thinking about fingerlings as follows: 10 LMG, 35 HBG or BG, and 15 Redear. Thoughts?

The advice from the ODNR is good but it is generalized and generic for most all situations in Ohio and similar climatic eco-regions. There are two very key points in this advice. 1. properly stocked and managed, both are very important not just the stocking. Management is actually more important and a key component to long term fish balance and good angling. It is very similar to having a successful vegetable garden. One just doesn't stock or plant the garden and expect it to take care of itself. Success involves nurturing and "working" that garden. A pond is very similar and probably even more dynamic and complex than a garden. Thus it probably takes more work than a garden to get the most benefit from that resource. If for nothing else the pond fishery is perennial and not in most instances an annual garden habitat.

The big problem for almost all new and older pond owners is what are the proper management methods. Those management methods and what species to stock are dependent on ones goals. A person's goals are big unknowns until they understand what all the possibilities are for a pond fishery. The possibilities for a good or trophy fishery in a pond are numerous and many more than the bluegill, largemouth bass and catfish combination. Here at Pond Boss forum we try to provide personalized help to educate one to all the possibilities.

I think that too many people decide what fish species to stock based on too little homework.

Fish n Chips,

Very kind of you to offer a visit if it works for you. The RBT idea sound like a whole lot of fun. My wife is concerned about the fact that they will all need to be harvested before they die in July. Frankly, I myself am not sure how big if an issue this will be. What if only stocked a half a dozen this fall?

Bill Cody,

Thank you for your reply. You are certainly correct that I do not have a well defined plan for my 1/10 pond. That said, I believe I am trying to start off doing some things correctly. I installed a quality aerator (vertex), hand raking my pond, hired Aqua Doc for bi-weekly applications, install habitat (pallet), and I have stocked a few dozen FHM. And, I am getting great advise from you and the many other folks on this forum.

I am trying to solicit ideas if stocking of fingerlings as mentioned would work, or is that a really bad idea.

I don't see much of a problem with it. It would let you try it with out much investment or setback of time. Lets play out the scenario;

You buy 6 RBT at 11" in October for 30.00 total. You buy a bag of feed for 35-50.00. The trout eat all the minnows you have stocked plus you need to feed them daily. There is a commitment by you to do that on a regular-time basis, but by doing this you also reap the enjoyment of watching them feed. You fish for them in spring. Perhaps you only catch half, or all. The size could be from 14-17" with the possibility of weight pushing 3#. Lots of factors can change all this. You have some trout dinners. You may get some algae issues in the spring that may be tougher to combat because you have trout. Trout and copper don't get along. However the trout will be gone in awhile, and then you can manage the algae anyway you like. Throw some more FHM in and begin the process all over again, or get it ready to stock in a more permanent fashion that you have done homework on.

From my personal experience, I think that the money put into the RBT is a pretty even wash with what you get back. Otherwise what I harvested in trout for meals, is probably close to what it would cost if I went out and bought trout at the grocery store. When I was trying to figure out what to stock originally, I didn't want to buy fish every year. So I was really apprehensive about the RBT. There were other circumstances that swayed me into needing them. Now, I can't wait to do it again. Never thought I would say that, and I have to say thank you PONDBOSS.

I am not pushing for you to go and stock your pond with trout. I am giving this info as only a stocking option. There are MANY other options. Like you said, do your homework, ask questions, never give up learning....it's a journey.

Big question is, what single fish do you like the best?

In that small of a pond, I'd lean to stocking Hybrid fish instead of LMB/RES/CC.

1) RES won't produce enough offspring to feed the LMB.
2) LMB might spawn next year, further contributing to the predator heavy pond.

(one LMB needs to eat 10# of fish to gain one pound of weight. Multiply that by however many LMB you have in the pond and you'll see where I'm going.)

If you don't enjoy eating CC, don't stock them. Catch them once or twice and you won't catch them again.

Look into the following fish - Bill Cody can tell me if I"m off base or not because he knows the climate and water over there better than I do.

This is with you feeding the fish.
In no particular order:
Yellow Perch (YP)
Hybrid Striped Bass (HSB)
Redear Sunfish (RES)
Hybrid Bluegills (HSB)
Channel Catfish (CC)
FHM

Possibilities:
1. You don't have to get all or any trout out of the pond before they die, but if you don't take any out the potential fish meal is wasted. When they die, most will likely float some may not eventually float, but sink, remain on the bottom and decompose on the bottom to release / recycle all those bound accumulated nutrients into the pond which will "feed" plants probably mostly filamentous algae which will cause AquaDoc to use more chemicals in the pond killing all those extra plants. It is a chain reaction. Building the pond started the reaction. Tilling a portion of your yard for a garden also starts a similar reaction of work.

2. You can add a few bass (SMB or LMB) fingerlings to your pond and not feed them anything - nothing. Just don't expect them to grow larger than 8" without some sort of abundant food chain to make them grow as in 10 lb of minnows to grow 1 lb of bass. If bass only eat a few bugs and their offspring each year they don't grow much, if any, but they don't starve and die either until they reach the end of their life span. Offspring then replace the natural or induced (angler) mortality. There are a lot of successful ponds near me with only bass 8"-10"long.

3. A few single sex fish species, because they wont spawn to produce an overpopulation problem, are another possibility. Examples: yellow perch, bass, bluegill are a few common examples. You will probably need a very good, smart, experienced angler or better yet a fishery biologist to help with doing this single sex fish option.

4. The hybrid fish and other species that esshup mentioned are a good option to consider.

Whichever option you choose I suggest you return and ask us about the pros and cons of your selection for your 0.1 ac pond.

We welcome all stocking suggestions for this small pond in NE Ohio. Here is a last resort option. If you or your do good friendly neighbor or a relative stocks something into your small pond that ends up causing problems,, it will be relatively inexpensive to chemically "kill it off" and restart anew. I calculated your 0.1 pond contains about 98,000 gallons of water and it will cost about $25 to $30 wholesale for the necessary chemical - rotenone to eliminate all the fish in the pond. Retail cost may be more depending on the retailer - licensed applicator.

And would cost even less if he'd pump water out of the pond first to reduce the gallons of water. But, a licensed applicator would probably have a minimum charge too.....

I recently drained a 1 ac pond that was about 5' low with a 16,000gph semi-trash pump. It ran 24/7 to drain the pond, but there's only 12" or so of water in it. It's a LOT easier to dig in a relatively dry pond than to dig in 8' of water.....

I would like to bring up two questions that may be beneficial to Ed.

1) Is his pond deep enough for YP? I believe he said it was 7'.

2) Is it to cold for RES in his pond?

I have RES in my pond, and they survived last winter. Ed is about an hour north of me. It puts him about as far north in Ohio as you can get. I would think RES would be a good thing to get into his pond for the parasite control as soon as possible.

Bill, esshup and Fish n Chips, thanks for the suggestions and recommendations.

I have to realize I do not have complete control over all the fish that end up in my pond over time. Mother nature can add additional stock from our creek that over flows into our pond once every 5 years or so, also causing our pond to over flow as well. The creek currently bypasses the pond during the normal rainy times. That said, I need to recognize that these very heavy rain events will occur every so often and remove/add fish to my pond. Not looking to invest in altering the path of mother nature.

We are looking forward to the daily feeding of our fish. This gives both of us a lot of enjoyment. We are certainly used to doing this daily activity with the rest of the animals on the farm (the pond is fenced off from them).

I originally proposed in this thread the following stocking of fingerlings.
10 LMG
35 HBG
15 RES Redear

Based on the feed back here, I am now proposing the following stocking of our .1 ac pond of fingerlings this fall. Daily hand feeding. I will hold off a year or two on stocking LMB or RBT. Holding off on the CC.

10 Yellow Perch (YP)
10 Hybrid Striped Bass (HSB)
20 Redear Sunfish (RES)
30 Hybrid Bluegills (HSB)
FHM

Does this look like a good initial plan?
Since these are fingerlings, can these be shipped to me?

Ed

Fish n Chips, Aqua Doc told me my pond was 6'8" deep, and will get deeper with the use of our installed aerator over time.

It will be interesting to see how accurate AquaDoc's statement is about increasing the depth of your pond. Please keep us advised or your current pond depth.

Might have to step back for a minute and address a possible concern. Have you set any kind of minnow trap to see what is in the pond? With the creek flooding the pond, why isn't there some kind of fish in there already? Is it a new pond? If there is any kind of fish in there, it might change your whole stocking plan, especially sizes of stockers.

If it has flooded in the past with fish brought into it, where are they? A possibility is that it may have had fish kills every year.

Bill, sorry for the confusion. Aqua Doc told me the pond depth of 6' 8". They did not tell me that using the aerator will deepen the pond. That was my comment. I worded the sentence poorly. It was my understanding from reading that aeration will help the get air to the muck to process it. Just clarifying.

Ed

Time will tell if the pond gets deeper due to aeration. At least you know a pre-aeration depth.
F-n-C has good comments about what are the existing fishes in the pond. Have you tried sampling by angling, seining or trapping????. The next time AquaDoc arrives they could easily do a simple fish sampling if they are asked before they arrive and can plan to bring a seine or fish traps. It is easy to get small hooks size 10 or 12 and use small pieces of worms with a slender bobber to check to see if any small fish are present. The methods works well to catch many species of fish as small as 3".

Fish n Chips and Bill Cody,

The pond was in bad shape. Haven't seen a fish in it in years. However, this year we had one of those 5 year rains (I think it was May/June). Huge flooding, pond over-flowed from the nearby creek overflowing and cleared all the algae. I have seen 2-3 in minnows in the creek, so it is certainly possible some of these may be in the pond now. I have not set a trap but will look into this option. Bill Cody made some suggestions I will also follow up on.

Thanks guys!

Will the RBT eat the uninvited?

The famous Bill Cody's quote, "it all depends".

It would depend on the size of the uninvited, and the size of the RBT...as it would go for any other type of predator-v-prey combination. RBT will most likely eat the pellet feed as a first choice, so you would have to discontinue a feeding program, and that still isn't a guarantee. In my scenario, I did not feed the trout when first stocked. They were forced to go after the smaller fish that I wanted to reduce numbers of.

Same could go for what you "might" have in there. If there is "something", it could be the predator and your stockers are nothing but a welcomed snack.

You might also consider setting a trap in the creek to see what's in there. Trap in several different areas. If you come up with a LMB, CC, etc that's not good. Perhaps it's only minnows, creek chubs, etc. Post some pictures if you aren't absolutely sure.

PS..I know about the flooding you write of. We had 7" of rain in 20 hrs. A few days later you guys got the same

I am considering the following plan and am asking the forum for pros and cons as Bill Cody suggested. Thanks to many for their responses and suggestions!

Plan: Stock a dozen or so RBT fall 2013 (now), and hand feed these through this fall/winter/early spring. Fish these for fun and good eats until spring. Harvest all RBT and stock with forage (3 lbs FHM and 3 lbs of GSH). Add no predator fish until fall 2014 and let the forage spawn. Stock fingerling predator fish LMB?/SMB?/HBG/RES/TGC)in the fall 2014. (Note: I read here last week about fish company that can mail next day 250,000 GHS fry for new ponds at a very low cost.) Thoughts?

Does this plan make sense?

I have asked that question about the bulk GSF before myself. It seems like the only advantage to them would be if you do not have any spawning structure for them in the water. If your lake has been there for 10 years you should be in good shape. If you don't have spawning structure they say you can use straw mats or old carpet. I put a few pounds of GSH in our lake this spring and now we have an enormous population. I read somewhere that 1 female lays like 125,000 eggs per season. They try to say that the price per fish is such a great deal, I just don't see it. A couple dozen decent size GSH should easily make 250,000 fry the first year without predators. I am amazed at numbers of minnows that have been produced in our lake in just 1 spring/summer. Next year will be ridiculous. If I am patient enough to wait three years, the FHM and GSH might black out the sun.

I agree with Jakeroo on the GSH, especially a pond of your size.

Question marks by LMB, SMB.... I assume you are not sure on either. I think that I would go with SMB. Two reasons; First, you can always add LMB later and they would take over and crowd out the SMB. Second, with HBG, they probably won't produce enough food to keep the LMB satisfied.

In regard to the TGC. Don't add them unless you need them. They are added when you have a vegetation problem, and they are something that can be added at any time, any year. They aren't the "cure all" to weed problems as some think. Depends on weed types.

-- Have you had any results from trapping/fishing the pond or creek?

Jake- Plan sounds like a good start. As F-n-C wisely noted, TGC are usually not added until you see what species of weed colonizes and how many weeds need to be controlled. IT is good to always have some vegetation (15%-25% coverage) as competition to FA algae and habitat for fish and many invertebrates that inhabit weed beds. Adding TGC right away prevents any vegetation from colonizing and most or all nutrients will be utilized by FA due to no other plant competition, thus the algae grows unchecked and abundantly. Then you are continuously fighting filamentous algae problems. TGC do not eat very much FA - not a preferred food.

Considering your forage base I like the SMB as initial predators and if they do not perform well then add the LMB who will soon become dominant after several spawns.

Thanks for the response Jackeroo on the bulk GSH.
Looks like raising my own GSH (as planned) is a good direction.

Fish n Chips, You are correct in your assumption that I am not sure about the LMB or SMB. Your comments help.

I will also hold off on the TGC for the points you mentioned. Makes sense. Thanks!

Thank you Bill Cody for the additional considerations on TGC. I won't rush into adding these. Another vote for the SMB. This helps! Thanks Bill C.

Since nobody else has said it. Hello, my name is Earl.

Ed, if you are worried about regular FA in the spring and want to go a natural route versus chemical , you might consider tilapia.

Also, to your stocking plan, it might be fun to throw in a couple HSB at the time of stocking predators.

I am definitely concerned about FA in the spring and certainly would be interested in getting some tilapia to help control the FA as a natural solution. I can take over the entire pond very quickly. Have you tried to use tilapia for this purpose, and if so, was it successful?

Thanks again Fish n Chips!

Ed

Yes. Tilapia has been proven to be very effective on FA. Lots of old threads discussing it.

I have been thinking a lot about my pond plan and re-reading the many suggestions I have received to my posts. I think our plan will be to primarily hand-feed our fish and let them grow, restock as necessary, while holding off on the predators. I particularly like your suggestion of limited reproduction and feed trained (which is what we like to do). I assume you meant HB to be HBG. I think I will hold off on the CC and maybe put in tilapia and HGC next year to control algae and plant growth.

(Note: I have been fishing the pond for the past week with worms on small hooks without any bites to help confirm I don't have any fish, except the FHM I added a month ago).

Fall stocking:
HSB
HBG
RES
feed trained YP
feed trained SMB
RBT
FHM
GSH

Spring Stocking:
Tilapia
HGC
FHM
GSH

CJBS2003, thanks for the suggestions! Fish n Chips also suggested the RBT (fun fishing).

I could use some suggestions on sizes and quantities for the fall stocking for my 0.1 ac, max depth of 7'. Help please!

Well, I still think you need to proceed cautiously on stocking ANY Grass Carp. The GSH need vegetation, so you might be counterproductive between the two fish. What do others think?

In regards to stocking numbers and sizes. I would imagine your going to have to find out what sizes are available from suppliers. Most of the time you just can't go to a supplier and say I need this, and they have it. You need to work around what they have. Having said that, the two that will probably give you the most trouble finding are the pellet fed YP and SMB. Right now, Fender's have YP 4-6" pellet trained, but not the SMB. They have 3" SMB, just not pellet trained. Jump to next year when you need them, and it may be totally different. Perhaps it may not be that big of a deal if the SMB are feed trained, the pros will have to help you with that. Then of course numbers stocked are based on size of fish available.

PS... I assume your stocking dates are;
spring of 2014
fall of 2014

Some might accidentally think you mean this fall.

I was thinking this fall, 2013 and spring 2014. Would that be a problem?

I don't know. Esshup, CJB, Bill C, Ewest????

Typically you let your forage spawn like mad, and then add predators 6 months to a year later. However all your stocked predators "might" be feed trained, so perhaps it don't matter as much.


Here's my "guess"

Fall 2013:
FHM
GSH?
RBT

Spring 2014 after RBT are gone:
FHM
GSH
Tilapia
RES

Fall 2014:
HBG
YP
SMB
HSB

Minnows this fall will likely be mostly trout food with maybe 25% being survivors at spring spawn time depending on habitat and how much and how often trout are fed. Trout will be very active during winter and other fish will be slower and easier prey items.

My experience is if you add the following in spring after removing most of the trout it will work reasonably well: FHM, GSH, HBG, pellet trained perch and tilapia. HBG and pellet trained perch (2"-3" or 4"-6") will not eat significant numbers of minnows shiners. I stocked this spring (0.2ac) adult pellet eating YP (8"-10")with minnows and late Sept there are lots and lots of small minnows and tilapia that were apparently ignored by the welfare YP. This way you get some good growth from the HBG and YP before the predators are added. YP & HBG will them spawn in spring 2015 and provide added forage for the fall 2014 stocked SMB,HSB. If you can't get pellet trained YP then wait until fall for the perch, SMB and HSB. You may like the put & take trout so well you forgo the other predators. Trout are fun and grow fast during cool-cold waters.

Thanks Bill Cody and Fish n Chips for the stocking suggestions by seasons (2013, 2014, and 2015) and sizing guidance.

As suggested, I will be stocking the RBT this fall, and stocking FHM, GSH, HBG, pellet trained YP (yum) and tilapia in the spring. As Bill suggested here, I may really like the put and take of the RBT, and forego the predators. I also recall Fish and Chips' suggestion in earlier posts to stock the RBT in the fall.

Thanks for helping me with my stocking plans!

Please keep us advised as to your pond adventures and stocking results.

I keep coming back to your response to my question. What are our goals... I initially thought rainbow trout, but after discussions with my family, it will not work out for us. YP is our current direction/goal.

That said, a dedicated YP pond has everyone's interest. We all love lake perch!!! I have read here on PB that it may be best to stock all females. What would be be the recommended path forward for an all perch pond (0.13 acre/7'deep)? I only have a few dozen FHM in the pond now.

Do I stock YP now?, or do I wait until spring to stock YP?

For all females you want to stock in spring before they spawn. At that time females will be bulging pig fat and males will be easily squirting white milt. Stock only those belly bulging perch and ignore obvious males and all those intermediate that you are unsure of. When in doubt leave it out. If you are not buying pellet trained perch and the stockers will live on bugs and minnows, then in 0.13 ac initially stock 15-25 YP. I am doing the same thing in a 0.2 ac pond. In March I will catch by angling and trapping 20 females 5"-8" (100/ac, max 150/ac) and put them in an all natural food pond.

If you can by pellet trained female perch, then you can start by adding up to 200-300 per acre for beginners. Aeration allows higher stocking densities. Many fish farms will not sell just females. I often buy mixed YP, raise them in a cage until the next spawn season, sort and stock females and fillet the males.

Bill, thanks for the advice. BTW, since you asked, I do have aeration (Vertex).

I found a lot of additional information on "YP only pond" on this thread which includes your responses as well as others. Great thread.

http://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=337773&Board=5

Thanks! Ed