FWIW, I have a client that is willing to experiment with his 3+ acre pond. He has a LOT of cover in the pond, both wood and rocks but his sides are steep so there isn't a lot of flat spawning habitat. The bottom of the pond is primarily clay. There was an influx of water from the river just as construction was completed, so the pond was rotenoned in 2016 prior to stocking. Both Bullheads and GSH were killed and there are none showing in the pond 3 years later.
The water typically is higher in the Spring/early Summer than the Fall, and there is grass growing to the waters edge which provides spawning habitat for the GSH.
His goal was a trophy SMB pond with large panfish and great ice fishing.
With that said here is what we stocked:
Fall 2016 we stocked FHM and GSH Spring 2017 we stocked HBG, RES and small YP Fall we stocked 8"-10" YP (also wanted to stock SMB but couldn't find any) Spring 2018 stocked 6"-9" SMB and White River Crayfish Spring 2019 stocked HBCP Fall 2019 stocked 8"-10" HSB (I also threw in a dozen Golden Rainbow Trout and 2 regular colored Rainbow Trout)
After the winter of 2017 there were virtually no fatheads seen in the pond. To this day there are quite a few GSH most likely because they have ample spawning habitat in the shallow shoreline grass in about 1/3 of the pond and they provide ample forage fish. Some 8"+ specimens are caught when ice fishing. The majority of the pond is lined with 6"-8" riprap down a foot below the water line. ALL fish stocked were feed trained with the possible exception of the HBCP. The HSB were stocked because of the abundance of GSH.
There is one TH feeder on the pond feeding a 50/50 mix of Optimal BG and Bass food. A 2nd TH feeder will be added this Spring. The owner hand feeds in late evening when he can.
YP are 13"+ HBG are 10"-11" and 1.5"+ thick. SMB are 3#+ (they were stocked as feed trained fish but he has not seen any actively feeding on the pellets). He has not actively fished for the SMB so they don't get hook shy. Any caught are incidental catches.
No underwater or marginal plants were observed in the pond after 2 years so this September Blue Flag Iris, American Pondweed, Arrowhead and Pickerelweed were planted.
As Snipe noted BG were NOT stocked because of the SMB being the planned apex predator in the pond.
