The pond I help manage for my family in SE IA is now nearly 4 years post renovation/rebuild and going strong. It is about 1/2 acre and fluctuates from ~14 feet to 20 feet when at full pool. It was stocked with fatheads and GSH initially and we gave them a full summer and fall to populate the pond while it filled. A heavy rainstorm filled it quickly a couple months after stocking and the GSH exploded in population. My grandfather decided it was a good idea to put some adult BG in there that summer unfortunately
. It was stocked in early December 2017 with 30 WE. In October of 2018 we added 50 SMB 4-7" and 30 yellow perch.
We run a 100 LPM 12 volt diaphram pump powered by a solar panel and battery bank utilizing a 12" airlit to circulate water in the pond and direct the current towards some pea gravel and rubble areas for spawning. We feed cargill starter diets that are 50% protein and the GSH and yellow perch are very feed trained. The bluegills haven't taken to the feed as much as I anticipated.
We have held the BG population in check with frequent catch/kill and raking the bluegill beds repeatedly during the spawn. The incredible amounts of GSH in the pond keep recruitment down as well. I initially did not expect much YP and SMB recruitment in the pond due to the high numbers of GSH but they have both produced spawns. I believe the airlift and associated current flow has helped in this regard.
I had a couple of hours to kill before a wedding on Saturday, so I took my 6 yr son to the pond and he caught this 16" SMB on a topwater on the second cast and his first walleye about an hour later. Multiple smaller SMB were also caught. He is incredibly passionate about fish/fishing so he was extremely excited to catch his first walleye. It was a magical experience for me to watch. His daddy was so proud!
https://i.imgur.com/P2el4ji.jpg?1https://i.imgur.com/jvEEbQf.jpg?1
