Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Evaluating and adjusting fish populations New GA pond owner; need Stocking advice pls

Hi. I’m a new pond owner. Bought a place with a ½ acre pond, average depth is around 4 feet. I have a few LMB and BG and there are some forage fish (not sure what kind). The previous owner said there’s also some CC. Last year, I purchased 12 GC but I know some have washed away after a 10” rain when the damn overflowed.

I’m looking for advice please on how to start building up my fish habitat. My interest is mostly to learn about and enjoy observing the ecosystem. I might do some catch and release fishing some day if some grandchildren come along.

I’m just north of Atlanta and have access to LMB, BG, CC and FHMs. I’d like to start off with an ‘old school’ self-sustaining approach. i.e. buying some FHMs and maybe installing a BoJo light for fun. I’m open to some hand feeding but not quite ready for the expense of an automatic feeder. I know I should probably do an electrofishing survey but for now on my little ½ acre hobby pond, I’d rather spend the money on fish. That’s IF I can figure out the right mix and quantity.

Long term, I’d like to have some nice LMG (thinking grandkids again…) and may someday get a feeder, but for now, I’m happy just to get the food chain started. Assume it’s 1960 and we don’t have fancy automatic feeders and nutritionally engineered fish food…

Let me pose some questions and let’s see how it goes.

(1) Can anyone point me to a good resource for understanding the small pond food chain fundamentals. I’m a new subscriber to PB but looking for a jump start.

(2) Assume I just stay with whatever LMB I have for now, what would you recommend for a BG, CC, FHM order?

(3) What ‘s the worst mistake I could make?

Thanks in advance everyone. I’m really looking forward to everyone’s feedback.

I'll start with #3. Concentrate on the food chain(bluegills) instead of the bass.

CC are not good candidates for catch and release. Once caught, they become hook shy. They will continue to get larger, eat lots of forage, and muddy the water.
I assume you added the 12 GC to reduce algae. You might consider aeration. One or two diffusers in your 4 ft deep 1/2 acre pond should really help. It will also help your pond hold more fish. It may not be a 1960's strategy, but neither was sterile grass carp.
One last thought...throw some goldfish or koi in. The CC may eat them but GF are cheap and easy to see when sitting and enjoying your pond.
Good luck

For the fish habitat, look into the archives thread for cover and structure.

If you are wanting to do C&R on the bass, I wouldn't stock Largemouth. You will have to do C&K with them after about year 3. (catch and keep)

If not, you will end up with a LMB stunted pond.

I agree with Dave, concentrate on building up the habitat for forage fish and the forage fish themselves before worrying about stocking any predator fish.

i have no experience with grass carp, but have done plenty of reading. from everything i read they are not algae eaters, they are grass eaters. they will eat algae if starving. also they get 20 to 30 pounds. if a pond maximum carrying capacity is 400 pounds per acre (that's fertilized and aerated) then you have about used up your carrying capacity in just carp.

good chance i am wrong, but hopefully the pros here can clarify my way of calculating and thinking.

Thanks for the advice everyone. I think focusing on the BG is what I'll do. I'll skip getting any new LMB and CC for now.

And I'll start researching aeration / diffusers. Never thought of that, thanks.

Great idea regarding GF an Koi. We would enjoy that. I need to find a source for some cheap GF. The pond stockers that will be in my area soon have 6-8" Koi for $15. I might take a chance and get a few.

So what about the lower end of that food chain? Would FHMs serve as forage for BG and Koi? If not, what would you recommend?

Thanks again

Start only with one koi. They are bottom rooters and mudders. When larger that 24" they can easily cause pond turbidity. Bass will likely eat all gold fish you stock with is really a good thing. If you live at the pond you don't need an automatic feeder for a 1/4 ac pond. Hand feeding 2-3 times a week with good quality food does help improve the fishery for BG.

To check on the fishery balance do some angling with a small hook & live bait. Then keep records of what and how big of everything you catch per total hours of fishing. Report back and we can provide more information. Close up clear pictures of fish you are not sure of will get you more specific information and management ideas. In the mean time scan through the Q&A Common Pond Question archives to learn more about pond balance. You can also search this forum of pond topics using Goggle. Type pond boss forum and your topic
http://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=postlist&Board=22&page=1

Mike,
Welcome to Pond Boss...tons of good info and helpful folks here.....read it all, study it all, and ask a lot of questions. Post some pics of your project when you have time.

The only carp or carp like fish I would recommend putting in a pond, and that is only if necessary are Triploid Grass Carp.

Goldfish are a PITA to get out of a pond, and even stocking a lot of LMB didn't help. When they spawn, they will revert back to golden/silver colored color in a few generations and won't look much different than a common carp does.

I agree with Bill Cody, if you absolutely have to have some color in it during the summer, one Koi. For the winter months, you can stock the golden morph of rainbow trout.

Thanks again. I think this site is going to be a great resource. I'm starting to realized just how much I have to learn.

If I focus on BG and purchase some, what else should I do the help them thrive?

Regards,
Mike

If you want to focus on production and reproduction add lots of finely divided (narrow spaces) structure such as tree branches. This provides lots of refuge areas for small BG to help them survive to larger sizes. Feeding them a high quality fish food keeps them growing fast until they die or are harvested.

Another option is to keep your LMB small harvesting all less than 10"-11" and then each year add some 3"-5" BG to replace all those harvested. This option with pellet feeding will result in larger average sizes of BG.

I am not a pro..... but IMHO, since you don't intend to harvest fish, another path might be a pond with a forage like maybe GSH and hybrid game fish like HBG and HSB.