Pond Boss Forums STOCKING A NEW POND Types of fish to choose Forage for CC

Here's a link to Keystone's Spring Price List

http://files.constantcontact.com/c72d25d0101/1fdc021b-1c76-47cf-adfc-f5759d435cc8.pdf

I know they sell to Illinois and Wisconsin but I'm not sure about Indiana.

I am in no way advising anyone how to stock their pond. But over my life time, mainly bass fishing lakes and a few small ponds (I have one 1/2 acre) never have I seen a pond with so many big fat bass at being only 2 1/2 to 3 acre pond. Owner had it built 20 yrs ago. My son bought a house about 1/8th mile from pond and the pond owner and him have become good friends and he told my son he can fish it anytime and bring your Dad if you want(Great Guy). He said it was 12ft deep at dam when built, but gets farm field run-off so maybe 10ft deep now at Dam and 2-3 ft at opposite end. It was built right so you can fish all the way around it easy (no trees) no need for boat just a very nice walk around pond after work for 1hour of fishing. The owner said they stock it with bass, bluegill,crappie channels, even put in blue cats. My son walks it about every evening with a spinner bait and a jig with swim bait trailer jig and carries a scale for pictures before releasing. Almost every night he catches bass weight from 3lbs up in almost 6lb range (lots in the 5lb range) fat as can be. Owner ask him to throw any bluegill and crappie up on bank because they are stunted. He said way to many small crappie. My son even catches the channels on spinner baits. Owner even put a tree in it when it was built for crappie. He does no restocking of this pond since he does not live by it. just dyes it this time of year. He allows the kids around to swim in it from the dock (just a nice guy)no partying allowed for safety. Sorry for long story but just hard to find a pond that produces this size bass that always seem to want to hit a lure. He loses a lot of big ones that he sees jump and spit lure out. My thoughts on this pond is the crappie spawn first and create the forage for the bass at stunted size. Pond is amazing for 20 years old and little management on fish. I'll keep updates on catch rates as the spawn gets over and it gets warmer. Son has lived there almost a year now and top water is great in summer. Just thinking about what beastman said in another post about ending up with 100s even 1000s of stunted crappie (maybe good forage) something is being done right for bass fishing. Sorry again about this long post but this pond is a bass fisherman paridise.

Thank you!

It will be a few weeks for I shoot some feed videos. The Mrs shot this Saturday so I can show you what overstocked CC with BG looks like. BTW this is the pond the Handicapped / Disadvantaged will be fishing in May. The CC show up like this when you walk up.

Wondering if a 1/2 acre blue-cat crappie pond might work? Would the blue catfish prevent the crappie from overpopulating and stunting?

That would be an interesting program to watch. You would need some type of forage and both like small shad.

Golden shiners?

GS would work as well.

See this link - fishbase

http://fishbase.org/TrophicEco/FoodItems...ecies=punctatus

My CC seem too slow to ever catch a BG or any other sunfish. Maybe pellet feeding makes them fat and lazy?

That is the theory with the feed John. Feed them plenty and they will chase pellets instead of forage fish.

I have to believe the CC do most of their fish catching at night when the BG are mostly asleep. I have walked the pond edge at night and very carefully put my hand in the water and scooped up a small BG in my palm while it was sleeping before it noticed what was going on. That told me that a CC that tends to be more nocturnal could catch BG at night.

Yup the cc just sneak up and gobble them up at night, I suppose that's why BG hide in shallow water at night

I agree, they feed mostly at night and just slide in nice and easy but....I have also caught CC in the middle of the day on a fast retrieve crank bait. IME they can put on the speed when they want to.

That is my experience as well. Little sharks!