Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Corrective stocking New pond

OK the new pond is full now. I am going to set a perch trap to see wht I have in the pond already. I converted 3 catfish ponds into a 3 1/2 acre pond. Most of the catfish were gone by some means... I think my neighbors seined the ponds while under consrtuction. However I know I have some left hence the trap.
Ph is a little low right now 6.35 so I need to add lime but how much? I want to stock the BG & RE ASAP so I need some advise.

As far as advice are you looking for species of fish to stock, what numbers and a time line? If so, what are your goals? Big bass, big perch or a balance?

Goal is big bass for me and nice BG for the grandkids....

Stocking recommendation:
18 lbs of FHM this spring
half truck load of threadfin shad this spring or just prior to their spawn next spring
2625 BG this spring
875 RES this spring

100 northern LMB next spring
100 F1 LMB next spring
50 FL LMB next spring

Stock the number of catfish you wish as they should be a put and take fishery if desired. This should set you up with a fairly balanced fishery to produce some nice sized BG for the grandkids and some real nice bass for you...

I completely disagree with your stocking numbers CJ.

If it were me I'd stock 2,626 BG.

(Sorry, the devil made me do it).

Actually I have no idea about the stocking numbers, I was amused by the two thousand six hundred and twenty five. Carry on.

I'm sure a soil test would determine EXACTLY how much ag lime to add, but the beauty of the AG is it maxes out at a PH of about 8.2 so you can't hurt anything with several extra tons. It's cheap to get delivered and spread plus the extra will usually spread the time frame for later additions.

Truly the bean counter!

should I check for undiserables in the pond before stocking? I ask bc the pond was origanlly three catfish ponds that we drained for the most before letting the water into the finished pond. I once had an abundance of different sized catfish before we started the main pond but saw very few at the draining. I think my neighbors helped me with this. Thoughts?
Pulled a sample of the current water and found a Ph of 7.8 and a TA of ~50. am I good to go?

I would definitely try to remove any of the remaining catfish and any rough fish you have in there to start with a fresh slate...

The stocking numbers are 750 BG per acre and 250 RES per acre, at 3.5 acres that's the math.

For TX your good to go on the pH and alkalinity.

Those LMB #s are a little high for me but it depends on your goals and mgt practices. They are certainly in the normal range depending on size and timing.

What is the best way to empty undesirebles from the lake?

The best way is retenone or draining it...

I doubt either is a reasonable option though. Any idea what species are in the pond besides left over channel cats?

only channel cats that I know

I would try to remove as many of them as possible, particularly if they are of a larger size. Trot lines, seine, trap what ever method you wish, that way they are not hammering your newly stocked fingerlings. Since it is just CC though, I wouldn't worry TOO much...

if he wants big bass i would do 100 FL bass, 100 F1 and 50 Northern.

You're going to need to install automatic feeders, at least a couple and ideally three or four, if you want big bluegill in the pond. Ideal stocking numbers for big bluegill/redear would be half the numbers listed above, but the numbers above are definitely better for producing trophy bass. If you go with the numbers above, especially if you stock threadfin, you won't get much bluegill growth without automatic feeders set to feed at least once and preferably twice a day. The bass will focus first on the threadfin, putting less pressure on the bluegill and giving them a better chance to overpopulate; and those numbers are starting off overpopulated. But the numbers are good for trophy bass. Just make sure you feed if you want good-sized bluegill. Fertilizing would also be a very good idea.

Lastly, waiting a year between stocking forage and stocking the bass is espoused and touted by some very experienced and knowledgeable pond managers on here, but there are also very experienced and knowledgeable pond managers on here who don't subscribe to the theory. Greg Grimes has managed multiple ponds in the South in which LMB grew three pounds a year and in which the bass were stocked at the same time as everything else. You definitely save money on forage waiting a year, as the idea is to have the pond brimming with forage by the time the bass are stocked; but the same thing can be accomplished by stocking more forage initially, and a year of time the bass could be in the pond growing is not lost.

Finally, if you stock that many bluegill, along with threadfin, in the pond and give them a year with no predators in the pond, you truly will have a pond overrun with forage by the time the bass are added, which will be great for the bass but you will have no chance of ever growing decent-sized bluegill because the pond will be severely overpopulated with them and shad. The bass will possibly be able to thin the shad out in a year or two, but with that kind of head start they'll never get a handle on the bluegill, which means your bluegill will grow zero outside of automatic feeding, and not much from that since that's intended to be supplemental and not their sole source of nourishment.

As to checking for undesirables, are there any streams/rivers in the vicinity, or other ponds that might in a flood drain to yours? CC will consume fingerlings, and if they're hungry as they likely are, they could consume several of them. More problematic would be if some GSF have gotten into the pond from neighboring bodies of water; GSF would eat fingerlings with great gusto. If they're in there, you would most likely get some in the traps. Even better would be just to fish for bluegill with light line and a small hook and live bait; if there are GSF in the pond, you'll catch some. If they are present, you would be wise to rotenone before stocking.

I should add that if you were only after trophy bass, lower numbers on the bass in the stocking plan, as Eric already noted, would be ideal. Greg uses lower LMB numbers, half the ones listed above, in ponds in which trophy bass are the only goal. (I'm pretty sure he also stocks higher numbers of bluegill/redear initially). But the LMB numbers CJ listed are better if you also want big bluegill.

It's almost impossible to maximize a pond for both trophy bass and trophy bluegill; but you can manage a pond for good-sized, larger-than-normal members of both species. In TX, you should be able to raise LMB in the eight- to ten-pound range, and bluegill a pound or better. That's not as big as you could get either one if you were focused on just one, but it's still big to the average angler. You just have to stay on top of harvest for both species so that neither overpopulates its food source.

Hey 3.5; where in Texas are you? In a lot of the State, 3.5 acres can become 1/2 acre by the end of summer.

That would definitely alter the stocking plan.

No kidding DD1. My "was full for the first time pond" on April 29th is now down 4 1/2 feet! That's why we need 15' deep ponds in Texas, just hoping they won't go completely dry during the summer..du