Pond Boss Forums STOCKING A NEW POND Creating the food chain New 1 Acre pond in New York - Need Help

Just a few thoughts/ideas:

1) Check out ACME Planimeter over at http :// acme . com/planimeter/ which utilizes Google Maps and allows you to drop points to calculate area. Most accurate for larger areas as it uses spherical area math, but you may check it out to see how accurate it is especially if for example you know your lot is 3 acres or what not.

2) Really consider removing everything out of your old pond and starting new with known entities and quantities. You will never have to wonder or guess if you start fresh. Use the excitement of a new pond to kill those invasive cattails and weeds in your old pond and use that energy to research, research, research

3) It is much easier to place your structure in a dry pond or a very shallow pond. If you're able to clean out your original pond and in the Spring pump water from the newer, larger pond into the original pond, place your structure, and then pump back that may be a worthwhile consideration.

4) When you determine your game fish and table (eat) fish then you'll know your forage fish. From what you've posted thus far it sounds like bluegill and largemouth bass game/table, and fathead minnows may work well for your family (grandson included). The bluegills will bite, bite, bite which makes for fun kid fishing, and the bass will be a different animal for your grandson. If you start with a clean pond, then you can plan and manage your fish best.

You may consider stocking trout fingerlings in Autumn for the bass as they love to dine on them (lack the bluegill spines), and they are a great bait fish! You may consider channel catfish if you or your family like to eat catfish. They will compete with the largemouth bass for the bluegills as forage but you have not stated you're trying to grow massive toad largemouths. The catfish will also provide for night time fishing fun.

If you have or include some rocky areas you can add in crawfish for you to dine on and the bass to dine on.

Also if you're considering a dock to fish from, hang out and enjoy the pond on, etc., an empty or shallow pond is easiest to build that dock in. If you're considering a dock as a swim platform and a spring board then make certain to locate it in water deep enough for diving. Also locate fish habitats within casting distance of the dock for enjoyable dock fishing.

I inherited an established pond. With a tree-ridden dam, a warped and broken dock, a shoreline lined with water drinking trees and no spring to pump water into the pond, no fish cover / structure aside from vegetation near the shoreline and the stumps left in the pond bottom and the trees thrown into the pond, an overgrown trail road complete with water runoff trenches that made skilled navigation not an option, and no deep pockets to pay to rectify all of the issues.

You have the ideal, essentially a clean slate to address each and every line item before it's "too late". It is always more expensive after the fact.

Thanks for the input.

1) to double check my previous calculations, I used the program you recommended and came up with 1.1 acres.

2) the plan is to remove everything from the old and start new so that is covered.

3) putting in the structure while empty was the original plan but snow came early and at the rate the pond is still filling from the springs (even iced over), I am not sure it will happen. I do have a couple of diver friends that have airbags and have been told it won't be a problem to put it wherever I want if I can't do it before it fills.

4) definitely LMB and BG but I am considering Crappie after reading this from a local fish hatchery:

"..... With the exception of black crappie we do not recommend sunfish, such as bluegill, as a forage fish in northern regions. Because of the short growing season for bass in the north they are not able to keep up with much more prolific sunfish. Eventually the sunfish will take over the pond without intense management. Crappie do not spawn as prolifically as other sunfish so therefore it's easier for the bass to keep their numbers in check. Yellow perch may be another option as a second forage fish although they have been known to take over a pond now and again. Crappies and/or perch are a great option if you enjoy ice fishing."

Other thoughts on that would be appreciated from other members.

As for a dock, I would like something BUT cannot decide on a location due to the shape and the width of the dike - I did not plan well enough for that aspect. Need more though but you are correct in being easier now than later unless I make a floating system.

If you do decide on a dock in time before the pond is full, if you can at least get the deeper posts set it might be helpful. The platform can be built later when the pond is full if needed.

I got my outer most posts set in concrete before leaving south for the winter. Thinking we don't get much rain in the winter, could finish when we got back. 12" of rain in 48 hours while we were gone and the pond was completely full when we got back. Was really glad had the deepest posts already set. Was able to get the rest done in shallower water and then build the dock over the water.

But it all depends on the construction technique you will ultimately use. There are systems that can be driven or screwed right into standing water or through ice in the winter. I just wanted my posts big and in concrete, and was able to get it done by getting part of it done before the pond filled.

I also built my dock posts using 8" dia PVC filed with concrete with base imbedded in a concrete. Top of each post had a 1/2" or 5/8" dia bolt placed in the concrete. Very stable.

An acre pond is nice. The larger the volume of water the more stable and resistant to change. Just like large home aquariums. Smaller volume of water = more work to maintain.

Good on you to remove the old and start fresh. Definitely remove the cattails, and either eat the fish, use them as fertilizer in your garden, or give them to a local shelter of food bank (depending on the species and size of course).

How old is your grandson, or how experienced is he at landing fish? The beauty of bluegills are their hardiness. Often no bait required, just drop the shiny hook in. You could do both bluegill and crappie in addition to the largemouth bass. But you will have to decide when you will introduce each species after you decide your goal(s) for the fish in your pond.

If you aren't concerned about growing trophy bass you could "drop the pot luck" - bluegill, crappie, channel catfish, largemouth bass, and grass carp. Some folk enjoy fishing waters wherein on any given day they land different species - not knowing what's on the end of the line fishin.

It is likely your grandson will enjoy a dock