Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations 5 acre pond build

Hello, All

Newbie here so go easy wheezy!lol

I live in SE Michigan and would very much like to do something different than just the normal bass/bluegill pond. I was fully planning on going South in 5 years and live out my remaining years fishing the big ponds(ocean) however as is the case for a lot of us married folk the wife through a wrench in that plan. As a comprise to staying here at least part time I get a pond and a barn to occupy my time….so now I have a lot of damn questions and learning to do.

I’m hoping to have the pond completed by this time next year…It will be 5 acres and 25-30 foot deep if deemed appropriate for my needs/wants. Regardless it’ll be 5 acres, but the depth is my major concern or unknown. I’d like to have a walleye, perch, possibly crappie, pike fishery. Yes, I’m aware that reproducing is unlikely if not impossible, but I’m not against stocking periodically. No offense to the bass bluegill crowd, but I’m just not a fan.lol

Here’s my big question or dilemma…can I aerate, keep the temps down and the oxygen good at 25-30 feet to accommodate these species. I fully plan to stock and very possibly even hatch my own food fish(minnows) to keep my predators happy.

I know this is way outside the norm where I live, but it’s what I’d like to do/try if even remotely possible. It will be my primary hobby when I retire, well at least while I’m here in the warmer months.

Thanks for any and all advice and look forward to learning from y’all!!!

Have a good day, Pez

Pez, welcome to Pond Boss.

You should be able to have a walleye, perch, and pike fishery especially with the depths you're going for. Crappie could be good or bad, and there's really no way to tell until you actually do it.

The perch and pike can multiply in a 5 acre pond. Some Pond Bossers have had some unexpected success with walleye reproduction in ponds, but conditions probably have to be optimal with some kind of current or forced water movement.

Whether or not the aeration is necessary to have all those species is probably not black and white. I mean you could have all those species without aeration if you have good wind action over the pond, or if you have 'fresh' water coming in.

You may want to load up on fatheads and maybe even shiners for a good period of time before you stock the walleye, perch, pike, etc.

Structure such as rip rap, rocks, etc are good for the walleye.

Welcome to the forum! Like Sunil said, yes you can have those fish in the pond. Vertex is coming out with a new aeration system in the next year that can oxygenate the lower levels of a pond without disrupting the upper, warmer layer. So that means you can have an ice covered pond and not have to worry about any open water. You could accommodate those species with roughly a 5 to 10 foot reduction in depth too, but aeration will really be needed to make sure that they don't winterkill if the fish biomass in the pond gets too large (without aeration).

As for the fish, that all sounds good, just make sure you have enough cover (habitat) in the pond for the fish. In a 5 acre pond, we are talking about 3/4 acre of cover for the fish. Think about fish parasites too, which will mean probably stocking either Redear Sunfish or Pumpkinseed Sunfish. You could also stock Smallmouth Bass if you wanted.

The biggest problem with digging a large deep pond is fighting any ground water that might be there, and disposing of the spoils. On-site will be a LOT less expensive than having to move them off-site.

Since you are in Michigan, any pond that has a permanent water inflow or outflow feature (even if it is an outflow to a pasture) has to get permission from the State of Michigan to stock fish. The fish hauling company has to have a copy of that permit before they can deliver the fish, and if they are from another state, technically they have to have that permit on the truck before they cross state lines.

Since Walleye and Pike really aren't available as feed trained fish (Yellow Perch are) I would recommend getting your forage fish population (fatheads and golden shiners, possibly other minnow species) established before stocking the predators. That means having habitat in there for the minnows to use for reproduction too.

You said something about having another pond to raise minnows to add to the pond. That is doable, but it takes a lot of work, and that means seining the fish to transfer, you won't be able to trap enough in the wire minnow traps to make a significant dent in the amount that is needed to be stocked annually. Conversion ratio is roughly 10:1, meaning 10# of minnows = 1# of predator fish flesh.

Thank you guys!!! Much appreciated. I’m going to look into that system that you mentioned as that seems to be a big hurdle…aeration while keeping cooler temps at depth. My wife is already wanting to kill me as I’ve been stock piling junk/garbage in the back to use as structure…concrete, stumps, metal, rock…She’s none too happy.lol

The minnows/food fish would be raised in the barn if I do it…I’ve loved having aquariums and such throughout the years and figured I could up my game and raise some minnows..(possibly) I haven’t really delved into it much. I’m going to try and put in a large stretch of gravel to see if that will help.

What I didn’t mention and one of the big reasons I bought where we did is that we have sand 16’ down and we'll be having a contractor pay us to dig the pond. That was my main goal while looking for property…not my wife’s for sure, but mine all the same! I’m like a little kid at Christmas awaiting getting started.

I will get the food fish started first for sure. Thanks! Would it be detrimental if I added some perch with the minnows or just hold off on them too until I get the minnows established?

Hold off on adding any gamefish. You don't want anything eating the YOY minnows for the first season. A full season for reproduction will create a lot of forage minnows for the next season's gamefish and that lot will create even more. The second seasons YOY minnows will be the base diet for the smaller stocked fingerlings leaving the adults to keep making more. Do your homework on what types of structures the the minnow species that you choose require for adequate reproduction. I know the FHM's need elevated flat surfaces that they can lay eggs on and the GSH like submerged grasses , IIRC. You'll get much better results by adding ample structure for the minnows to do their thing. Without the structure, reproduction will be limited at best.