Pond Boss Forums STOCKING A NEW POND Raising Forage and Bait new pond

I just bought a home with about 2.5 acrea pond on it I do a lot of bass fishing on lakes so I would like to stock my pond with bass weather been cold and nasty but I have caught some small large month out of pond in last week I would like to know should I stock more beam and maybe some fathead minnows in pond this year I would like to put some big bass in pond thanks

Welcome to the forum!

Without going into a long dissertation on the biology and dynamics of a pond, first off you should do (or have done) a population survey on what is in the pond, and what size the fish are.

Next, what do you consider "big" in terms of LMB?

It's been noticed in a few ponds where large LMB were stocked, they didn't do well, maybe because they weren't familiar with the pond.

I ask guy when I bought house he said bass crappie and bream haven't caught anything but about 1 to maybe 1.5 lb bass I got the pond down right now he busted damn on it and rework it about 2..
5 years ago and I got a local guy come look at it and the back of damn where pipe was busted and stuff so I got to do a Lil work to it but hopeful 1 week should be done but I would.like to put some 5 lb in there this spring

I ask guy when I bought house he said bass crappie and bream haven't caught anything but about 1 to maybe 1.5 lb bass I got the pond down right now he busted damn on it and rework it about 2..
5 years ago and I got a local guy come look at it and the back of damn where pipe was busted and stuff so I got to do a Lil work to it but hopeful 1 week should be done but I would.like to put some 5 lb in there this spring

If your goal is LMB, then take out every crappie you catch. No Catfish in the pond either, unless you keep them under 3# each. 20-30 BG per every LMB. No more than 50 LMB per surface acre. They need food to grow. Each LMB needs to eat 10# of fish to put on one pound of weight. If you aren't aerating and supplementally feeding, then the pond can only hold about 300# of fish per surface acre. Do the math, see how many BG it takes to have in there per LMB, and you'll see why the LMB numbers have to be low.

If you stock some large LMB, take a pair of scissors and clip one of the anal fins off, or notch one of the other fins, or use floy tags. You want to know if large LMB you catch are the ones you stocked. Numbered floy tags would allow you to keep an accurate weight of each individual fish. If you catch them and they are loosing weight, you know that they aren't doing so well in the pond.

Now, if you fish a lot in the pond, you might make them hook shy. So, while you may have some really large LMB in there, they will be very hard if not impossible to catch. That's why I say have some way to id every large LMB you put in the pond.

Hey, congrats on the new pond (new to you)! Lots of info on this site about managing ponds for big LMB so before you stock anything spend alot of time checking out what's in the archives and post with any questions you might have. Some real good people on this site, like esshup, who know what they're talking about and like to help others succeed in whatever their pond goals are.

I know it's tempting to just throw some big ones in there, but from what I've learned here, I think what has been suggested about first figuring out what fish, how many fish, their condition, etc. that are already in there is very important. Then with the help of the experts here develop a stocking plan, or a harvest plan, a feeding plan, or whatever that will move you toward your goals.

I'm not one of the experts, but I like to follow along on these threads and I like pictures , so be sure to include some with your posts.

I'd also suggest and strongly recommend getting this book to help you on your quest:

Raising Trophy Bass

Where in VA are you located? I am in the Stafford area.

Often times people are in a hurry to get a pond into the shape they want it to be. Unfortunately, rushing the management of a pond often leads to serious issues.

As esshup said, it is very important to know what is in the pond before you go removing and particularly adding fish to it. I highly recommend you look at the archives section of the forum and do some reading. If you need help locating things, please feel free to ask...

We are a very friendly group of people on here who are looking to help. I highly recommend you take our advice. There are hundreds of years of experience collectively.

I located in keeling va near danville and thanks to ever one I think I start trying to see what's in pond and shape of bass in there. Weather starting to look good so hopefully fish start biting to

Start fishing for different species and different sizes. A good inventory of all species and sizes is important. From there, a better management plan can be put together.

Consider having the pond electroshocked. That will get you a more complete survey in one day. You can release fish back or cull the ones that don't support the goals of your pond.