What a great site! I wish I would have know of its existence last year. My wife and I bought a few acres in Southern Michigan at the end of summer last year. There's a 1/2 acre pond there, and so this property had my vote from the beginning. I fished it for many, many hours last fall. I used different baits, went in different times of the day, different weather, ect. but not even a nibble!!! Almost giving up I turned to the internet for help (which is why I am surprised to just now find this site.) I came to the conclusion that there may not be any fish in there anymore. So, I stocked 250 bluegill minnows (all about the size of a quarter) late last fall. I don't have much time to get out there but try to do so at least once a week. I got a bucket of water to water a rose bush my wife planted and noticed lots of little minnows flopping around on the ground (about the size of a dime). I couldn't tell if they were bluegill or not, and quickly got them back into the water. Is it pretty much safe to say that my stock from last fall have not matured and spawned?

My intentions are to have a bluegill/LMB pond for recreation and to eat. I have not stocked the LMB yet, because I want to get the forage population up. When should I start stocking the LMB?

Here's a little more background on the pond before you ask. There is a few trees down around the edges and lots of bushes and shady areas. I'm not sure of the depth yet (still working on that) The lady I bought it from said her and her husband owned it for 30+ years and used to stock it early on. She said it was spring fed but I believe it to be mostly the high water table. The closest field has only a dozen cows, and I believe that runoff from that ends up in a nearby drainage ditch. There is a nice constant breeze that blows, so the surface is clear of duckweed,
and the small ripples make it hard to see to the bottom.

I received my free trial issue of Pond Boss about 2 weeks ago, and sent in for a subscription last week. I also sent away for the Managing Michigan ponds for sportfishing book. Hopefully I am on the right track, and doing things the way I'm supposed to. I look forward to your responses and transforming my small puddle into something more. Much thanks in advance!