When I was young and didn't have money I did most of my stocking the "livewell" or bucket way... I stocked neighborhood ponds this way. Would buying fingerlings from the hatchery been better, yes... However, it wasn't realistic for my budget at the age of 16 nor would I waste money on a neighborhood pond anyone can fish in and do what they want with those fish! It's not perfect, but IMO you can certainly establish a healthy fishery that way and for far less money than if you buy fish. There are lots of risks though, but this isn't a pristine private virgin pond we're dealing with here. It's an fairly aged pond, that numerous people have access to that has who knows what fish in it already... There is a big difference between managing your private pond that you control and a neighborhood pond. Others may disagree and say stocking fish caught from other ponds is terrible, there's no way you can establish a good fishery this way. Well not everyone can afford a private pond in their back yard nor the cost of the fingerling fish to stock a 5 acre pond... So the other option is catch fish from other locations, I've done it and it can work.
Since the budget is tight and this isn't just your pond, why waste money on hatchery fish, when anyone can come catch them out and there isn't a thing you can do about it? Fish other lakes in the area and put the bluegill, redear, yellow perch or what ever species you wish to try in there. When catching fish from other lakes to transport to a new pond, I use something like
THIS. It will keep any warm water species like bluegill or bass alive and healthy for the time you need to transport them. While fishing I keep fish in a trash can with holes drilled in it and weighted on the bottom. Sink the trashcan in the water where you're fishing, as you catch fish flip them in the trashcan. The holes allow water exchange and refreshed DO to get to your fish until you are done fishing and ready to head home... Don't overcrowd the fish and you can use salt or a commercial livewell additive to help keep your fish healthy and increase survival rates. Also consider using barbless hooks to decrease hook mortality rates.
The VA Beach area has several good panfish lakes to choose from to include:
Lake Whitehurst(excellent walleye fishing in the lake),
Trashmore Lake,
Lake Drummond(a classic natural lake which does not support bluegill but will support other fish like yellow perch and chain pickerel),
Northwest River Park Lake(lots of stunted sunfish, maybe a good place to catch large numbers of sunfish easily for stocking purposes) and
Lake Kilby(the [panfish in here get very large and much like Theo's repost of Mr. Lusk's "black" bluegill, the sunfish look much the same way because of the dark tannin waters. It may be a good place to get larger sunfish adapted to tannin stained waters) I've fished all the above listed lakes and the VDGIF descriptions of them are very accurate IMO.
I can tell you, from past experience, bluegills when put into a pond they like breed like rabbits. If bass populations are low, just a dozen bluegills will be thousands in less than a year. Your pond already is bass heavy, so this is the challenge. My concern is also the water chemistry of your pond, not that bluegills can survive in it, but whether they will thrive in it. If they are going to be the back bone of your fishery, they need to do more than just survive, the need to THRIVE. IME, they won't... We won't know until you stock some big ones and see how they do.
Best of luck!
How far up the bay is your dad? Havent seen one that big in a while.
