Necessity of stocking forage fish in a new pond,

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Necessity of stocking forage fish in a new pond, #187450 10/12/09 06:43 PM
Joined: Aug 2009 Posts: 21 NW Indiana J John1944 OP Lunker
OP John1944 Lunker J Joined: Aug 2009 Posts: 21 NW Indiana	Okay fellow pondmeisters. (I'm not really one yet but I am working on it.) Here is my question. Is it necessary to stock a new pond with forage fish, FHM and GSH, before or with BG and RES. I have been advised both ways. I would be very interested in hearing other view points on this topic. Thanks. John

Re: Necessity of stocking forage fish in a new pond, John1944 #187452 10/12/09 06:56 PM
Joined: May 2004 Posts: 13,974 Likes: 277 Central Ohio Theo Gallus Moderator Lunker
Theo Gallus Moderator Lunker Joined: May 2004 Posts: 13,974 Likes: 277 Central Ohio	I would say it depends on the goals for the pond. If big bream are at the foremost, I would not stock GSH at all and would think about not using FHM (I have this crazy experiment ongoing using Gambusia for bream forage). If bass growth is equally or more important, I would stock start-up forage to provide kots of bass meals early on, before fingerling BG/RES are big enough to spawn. Even if breeding sized BG/RES are stocked in a bass pond, FHM & GSH probably help fill the pond up with easy to eat biomass quicker than bream alone. "Live like you'll die tomorrow, but manage your grass like you'll live forever." -S. M. Stirling