Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations RES Only pond study/outline (onging)

I've always wanted a pond for fresh fish, ?swimming, and general esthetics. Problem, our 5ac retirement site is pretty much a hunk of sandstone rock with silty sand fissures. After several quick pond push ups built by the septic tank installer, decided to invest in a real pond. So Aug 2015 it sits, 5000+sq.ft. mini pond with clay hauled in, packed, with a layer of lime and rock.

For an outline of the project, what suggestions/questions do you have? This could be one huge all encompassing thread or not; how should this be multi-thread posted?

I. Goals
a. 1 to 1.5lb RES 3 yrs after stocking
b. aesthetics with wildlife
c. summertime swimming if possible
d. bottom drain, forage, fertile

II. Shellcracker in 150 gal Rubbermaid
a. habitat
b. foods 1 fed 2 forage
c. fish growth
d. observations
e. maintenance

III. Pond
a. leakers 1 2
b. final selection
c. construction 1 dozer 2 packing 3 rock mishap
d. enhancements 1 rock 2 lime 3 lights 4 misc?
e. water 1 run off 2 creek 3 well

IV. Stocking
a. forage 1 creek 2 gams 3 g.shrimp 4 rosies
b. RES stock

V. Fishery
a. managing 1 culling 2 FHM & RES balance
b. growth
c. sustainability
d. future plans

Lots of advice on the various stages to get a fishing pond. Seems an outline overview would be insightful.

I will likely get flamed and burned at the stake for this suggestion, but here goes.

Along with the RES, put one single GSF verified female. The hybrid reproduction likely will be a lot easier to catch than the pure RES. With only one GSF in the pond, the chances of catching it again after it spawns and you verify reproduction is fairly good. I accidentally bucket stocked a GSF in my forage pond at about 3" and ended up catching it back out at 5" (thought the bucket was empty and forgot I had the GSF and one bullhead in it).

At least it is thinking outside the box. I doubt if anyone else will suggest it.

Hey Snrub, your bold suggestion may take us where no Pond Meister had dare goeth. It is thinking outside of the box(pond) and they would be more catchable. Any concerns that one could wind up with a pond full of greenies in 5 years?

I'll watch the GSF/RES hybrid topic with interest, but I'm a newbie and not that brave!

I like your thinking snrub...someone ELSE on fire for once!

I do like the idea of some hybrids, though I would personally try finding a single Pumpkinseed or just go with a native Bluegill.

In an RES monoculture, I doubt there will be any difficulty catching them...

Whatever happens in your mini-pond 0.11ac it will be easy to renovate it and start over learning from any mistakes. Go for it.

Here is a thread about RES/GSF cross.

RES/GSF cross

Ok, having trouble making the link work. If you will do a google search for the title "Potentials of Redear Sunfish X Green Sunfish in farm ponds using parentals for stocking" and you will find the PDF download link.

In the second post there is a link to an old study about using RES males and GSF females to populate farm ponds. This is an old study and was likely old enough before commercial hybrid sunfish were available readily from fish farms and when table fare was more important than recreational fishing.

My suggestion of only a single female GSF was to hold down the population explosion of hybrids and ensure the RES stood a chance to do part of the populating.

Key word suggestion, not recommendation. I'm still a novice at this stuff so take everything I say with a grain of salt.