I'm in the process of renovating the old farm pond in South Central PA. It was a small 1/4 acre sediment pond that was built in the 50's after the Army Corps of Engineers contoured the farm. It used to hold fish long ago and is said it once had some decent bass.

The pond has been drained and we are getting ready to dig it out, expand it to 1/2 acre, and rework the drainage into the pond to keep it cleaner. Hoping to build a small oasis for my family's enjoyment. So doing some research I found this site, and here I am.

I have been lurking and reading for a while. This site is truly a treasure.

This place is truly a treasure. Welcome!

Welcome! You'll find lots of folks here who are glad to help.

I pretty much found most of the answers I needed here. The only obstacle left seems to be finding a Hatchery to purchase the fish from.

Welcome to Pond Boss from another Pennsylvanian.

What type of fish are you interested in?

I'm looking for fish that I would be interested in eating. I was a die hard fresh water fisherman the first half of my life, but during this second half I have become mostly a saltwater fisherman.

I've caught enough largemouth bass and I do not like to eat them. If I do not like to eat them, It would to be a challenge to cull largemouth correctly to maintain balance in the pond. So my interest is stocking baitfish this Fall after the pond starts filling. I do enjoy eating bluegill, crappie, and walleye when it comes to freshwater. Smallmouth aren't too bad either. After reading here, the bluegill and crappie seem to be a no go.

So I am interested in Red Ear or Pumkinseed, Yellow Perch, Smallmouth, and Hybrid stripers. Maybe even some Walleye down the road. I would have no problem frying up any of those fish to maintain a good population. I'm not scared to have a Fish Fry monthly if they're good eating. I also don't want so few fish that they become "shy" of lures.

I'm not sure what the final dimensions on the pond will be. Hoping to go as deep as possible (15ft maybe before hitting shale). Will aerate the pond. Not opposed to feeding either.

Bluegill are certainly good for ponds in PA, but as you mention, Crappie are generally not recommended for smaller bodies of water.

You shouldn't have any issues sourcing bluegill or yellow perch here in PA. Smallmouth and Walleye are more challenging. Certainly, money can fix some of those shortfalls. At a pond I'm working on, we are having fingerling Smallies shipped in from Hartley's in KS.

Zetts in Drifting, PA. usually has SMB but says they didn't pull off a spawn this year. Fenders Fish Farm over in OH won't starting dealing with SMB until Oct/Nov., and can't guarantee anything.

Channel Catfish will also be easy to source as well as trout, but trout will most likely be a seasonal fish that doesn't make it through the summers.

Thanks for the info.

I'm worried that the bluegill will overpopulate without LMB being present. Maybe I'm just over thinking things. I might be able to keep them in check by harvesting monthly.

Hopefully I can get the minnows and Perch into the pond this fall and hopefully next year source some SMB and HSB.

It's going to take a while to learn all of the acronyms. lol

I noticed the Bluegill without bass present.

I’ve always gone with the idea that only bass can control the huge bluegill spawns and only bluegills can spawn enough to feed bass. Could crappie do it?

But, I’m concerned about crappie in a pond that size. Crappie also have booming spawns that could lead to water degradation.

HSB should be readily available. Zett's should have them.

Welcome to PB!

RES/SMB/YP/HSB is a great combination. That's what I did after renovating an old pond on my property.

I will tell you with 100% certainty - you don't want even one BG/HBG getting into your pond. I got a few with
the RES I bought and I've been battling to keep their numbers in check ever since.

I only added 25 RES to my 1 acre pond so that I could individually check each one.