AJ - I have another stocking combination for you to consider instead of bgill, Hybrid bluegill bass combination.
Since you already have a good start with a fathead minnow supply go over to Laggis's after the perch spawn (early May)(call first) and get about 80 -100 of his 4"-5" pellet trained yellow perch. Try to get them AFTER spawning season; ask Laggis for sure about the about the time. While there to get fish, ask to buy some of the feed that he has been using to feed those perch (1/2 to one 40 lb bag). Laggis uses real good quality fish food. The 40 lbs should last you all summer. If you feed on a regular basis the perch will be 8"-10" long by fall. If you stock 100, you and the kids can catch a few out in fall to eat (10-20) or wait till spring of 2006 for a small fish fry. If you stock only 60 this spring (2005) wait till fall of 2006 or spring of 2007 for the first small fish fry. Second year in your pond the original stock of perch should range from 10"-13" long.
The perch will spawn in 2006, I suggest you remove all the egg masses that you find along the shore to minimize hatching success. Buy your self a couple minnow traps and catch out some of the young perch to thin their numbers. OR THEN go back to Laggis' and get yourself 8 - 15 (4"-5") smallmouth bass (SMB) not largemouths (LMB). Laggis' SMB are also pellet trained. The bass will eat pellets and help reduce some of the small perch numbers.
The SMB will very likely spawn in your pond in spring of 2007 or 2008. Keep an eye on their numbers so they do not get too abundant and comsume all the small perch. Thin them if necessary. Many of the surving small perch will learn to eat pellets and a lot of the slower growing, non pelleting eating, small perch will be consumed by the SMB. Remove any skinny thin perch you catch while fishing with the kids. Perch and SMB are just as easy to catch as bgill and LMB.
Since you provided your email address in your profile, I will email over the next few days more info on raising yellow perch in a smallpond. I have several pond owners near me that raise only perch in their ponds and each year catch out a nice bunch of fish to eat. It can be done with the right methods.
You should easily be able to grow 12"-14" perch in your 1/4 acre pond with pellet feeding and good numbers management.
If you ever get tired of the perch pond or perch - SMB pond, just stock bluegill and LMB and they will after about 4-6 yrs pretty much crowd out most all the perch and smallmouths.
