Pond Boss Forums STOCKING A NEW POND Types of fish to choose New Pond in Indiana

I have a new pond in Southwest Central Indiana, It is approx 1 acre with varied depth ...5..7..9. & 12 feet deep with approx half of it being 12 ft. I am looking for a reputable fish farm/hatcherie to buy from. Plan on starting with Fathead minnows as soon as the pond is filled then, BG later this fall and LMB next spring. Probably a tougher question, is there any type of grass I can plant along the shore line that will grow in this heat/drought? Thx in advance...ML

I bought from Jones Fish and Lake Management and have been happy with them. I think if you order more than $200 then delivery if free. Not sure how far west they deliver. www.jonesfish.com BTW - Who built your pond and are you satisfied?

RAH, The pond is filling now...natural spring & small creek. So far so good....local excavating company. I'm thinking 550 BG, 175 RES, 150 LMB & 100 CC. Plan on stocking 2000 Fatheads next week then BG & RES this fall then LMB & CC next spring...sound right? Andry's Fish Farm will be local with a truck...hope they a decent.

Prob wanna cut back on the Bass and Increase the BG.

All depends on what the goals are... What are the goals of this pond? Bigger sunfish, bigger bass, etc. Just keep in mind, if it's bigger bass, a typical pond can produce about 50-100 pounds per acre of bass. So, that doesn't equal many decent sized bass. So, even if you are able to grow nice sized bass their aren't many of them and they get so darn smart they're tough to hook...

I know Lyle Andry the owner personally and he's an honest hardworking upstanding gentleman. I can't see how'd you'd go wrong with him. He even has tilapia now.

He's one of my board members of the Indiana Aquaculture Association.

I second Cecil's endorsement for Andry's Fish Farm. Never had a problem with any fish I've ever gotten from them, including this year's crop of HBG..

I've also had excellent luck with Clear Creek Fisheries, in Martinsville. The Hess family has done fish for a long time.

That's good to hear Mr Andry is a good guy, I have purchased fish from them before off of their truck @ the local Rural King. Good to hear they now have Tilapia too, I purchased several from Rainman a few years back. Does the overall plan sound right...Fatheads/BG/RES this fall & LMB & CC next spring?
Thx...ML

Andry's fish are nice and healthy looking.

What are the goals for the pond?

CJBS2003...I the pond will be used for swimming as well as fishing...I am more interested in Large BG than I am Trophy LMB. Not even sure if I'll put CC in or not. I guess my biggest question was... would stocking Fatheads/BG/RES this fall followed by LMB in the spring be the correct stocking plan or...put em all in this fall be better ?

From what I've learned here,LMB not until spring....or later. Wait for the pro's response, they will set you up!

BG tend to stunt more up north when stocked well before the LMB. This is different from stocking in more southern locations. I would skip the CC if swimming is a goal (they stir up the bottom). I would stock the FH , and RES now then add the BG and LMB next spring. 4000 FH , 200 RES , 75 LMB and 500 BG. See if you can get some BG from Cecil (Bordello BG) - http://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=168845&page=1

May want to consider a few HSB as a bonus fish.

One can make a case for stocking LMB in fall or spring. Best way is to allow FHM to spawn for 2-4 months then add the LMB that will grow very fast due to all the 10's of thousands of FHM.
But If you are primarily interested in bigger BG then stock the LMB early (fall with others) so the first spawn of BG is heavily preyed upon by the small bass. This usually results in more crowded smaller bass, fewer BG and faster growing BG stockers. Thereafter, harvest LMB over 15"-16", manage for smaller numerous bass that keep BG to a minimum, fast growing, and large. It helps to get the BG eating pellets as soon as BG are big enought to eat the 1/8" dia pellets of Aquamax 5D05 aka 500.

Here is one of Andy's LMB I put in my pond as a fingerling in Late April of 2013. Pretty Impressed.

Just a quick question. If a pond has a relatively small number of LMB around 6 to 8 inches and a lot of BG of all sizes, is this a good mix to grow trophy LMB (also has some 16-24" CC)?

What are the sizes of the LMB in the pond? If there are only the smaller ones in there, why are they there and no larger ones?

six to eight inches - Fish kill a couple years back under snow covered ice. I thought that I lost everything, but just the big fish were decimated. I have seen a few larger LMB (12-14") but just a couple. I see a lot of BG of all sizes up to 8 inches. Also redear.

Unless you've done something to address the winterkill issues, then I'd say NO to your question about a trophy LMB pond.

This is a 10 year old pond, and the conditions that caused the fish kill were very strange - thin ice covered by snow for a long time. It could happen again, but I think it will only happen rarely. My question is, assuming no more fish kills, with a BG heavy pond with small LMB likely result in big bass?

Yes, providing the quantity of LMB in the pond are kept under control, and the water quality (including DO) is kept up.

Thanks esshop. I have limited funds and unlimited projects, but maybe aeration will rise to the top someday.

I placed an order this morning for 1200 BG and 800 RES with Andry,s.The lady I talked to was very helpful and polite.I should have delivery within the next two weeks.The world as they know it for my GSH an Rosy Reds is about to change.

Glad to hear it. Keep us posted!

Bill, when I ordered Aquamax decided to try a bag of AM400 just to see what it was like. The pellets are tiny. As I hand feed around the perimeter of the pond will throw a mix of AM 500 and 600 out deep, then a small amount of the 400 in shallow near shore. The small 1-3" BG go nuts over it. Now they line up as I drive along the shoreline and stare at me till I feed them.

Don't know if I am doing good or bad feeding the small fish, but I can sure say they like it and took to it quick. Anyone wanting to get their fish started on feed might want to give the tiny pellets a try.

Edit: AM400 pellets look to be slightly smaller than BB's