Pond Boss Forums STOCKING A NEW POND Types of fish to choose need help with west central ohio pond

We are just finishing a 1/2-3/4 acre pond and it's in an L-shape with the deepest sections at approx. 18'-20' and some shallow ends. What type of fish would do well in a pond this size and would it help to add structure (tree roots, rocks, etc.) at one end? We are looking to eventually have fishing just for fun, and if it makes a difference, one end will have a beach for the kids to swim in that area. We have some available tree roots right now from excavated cedar trees--would those be good fish structure?

Welcome, roadking!

What kind of fish do you like to catch? What kinds of fish do your kids enjoy catching? It's not very hard to find a fish stocking strategy that will work. Largemouth bass and bluegill will do just fine. We're more interested in what you really want to catch.

A second welcome roadking. As Bruce notes it's about your goals for the pond wrt fish. How often will you get to the pond (live there or hours away? ). Often the type and level of possible management options , thus what to stock , is dependant on the owner and not the type of fish.

Roadking - Just about any type of freshwater fish can be raised in a pond with varying degrees success. Sometimes one can raise unconvential fish in a pond it just takes more effort, sacrifices and management. Decide what you want in a fishery and we will discuss if it is practical in your situation. As Bruce said, the LMB-bgill combination is the standard stocking combination, although there are a lot of other options based on your location.

Thanks for the info....would large-mouth bass and perch work? Someone said that perch may not be able to survive in a smaller pond our size, or they may not be able to reproduce. Is that true? We are adding some rocks and tree roots for fish structure. We are staying away from any stones around the pond that have limestone in them. The pond is at the house, so we'll have plenty of time to work with it. We're not sure about bluegill because so far folks seem to complain about having too many of those so many times. We've heard good and bad things about having catfish, too. We just like to fish for fun....I always enjoyed perch fishing in Michigan, but realize having any kind of perch in a farm pond may not be realistic--justhoping perch might work in the pond. Getting lots of ideas from the forum so far!

Roadking take a look at this thread which should help. Welcome aboard.

http://www.pondboss.com/cgi-bin/ubbcgi/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=7;t=000390