Pond Boss Forums STOCKING A NEW POND Types of fish to choose Stocking a new pond with RES, YP and SMB

I would not stock WE until you see you have an overpopulation of YP. Without excess forage the WE will compete with SMB in a small pond habitat and reduce the forage base. Thus your SMB, unless heavily dependent on pellets, will not achieve the trophy status. This applies primarily to SMB that were recruited in your pond and 7-10 yrs down the road. The original stocking of SMB may be the biggest SMB that you raise in your pond.

It is relatively easy to get the first stocking of fish in a new or renovated pond to grow fish to be the 'trophy' sizes, however it takes a lot better management methods to get the recruitment fish to grow to the trophy sizes. This concept has very little study and research. I think this occurs mainly because the pond ages and the food web declines as the nutrient budget gradually becomes more incorporated into the organic sediments and other resources. Plus a lot or too much of the standing stock is incorporated into big fish.