To maximize your game fish's growth their first and second year upon stocking you'll want to put the FHM's in next spring and let them have the pond to themselves to multiply. They will make thousands more and have the pond ready for predators. Then put the game fish in the following year. If you put the game fish in at the same time, there is still benefit just not as much. The YOY BG will consume the FHM young right out of the egg. There's the benefit, but it won't leave much for the second year. With a massive population of breeding FHM going into the gamefish stocking year, the benefit will last for a few years. It seems like it would be forever to wait for the FHM to do their thing, but you WILL find it enjoyable watching them explode and fill the pond with bagillions of little lives. Don't forget to add some pallets to the pond for their egg laying needs...huge difference compared to without them (the pallets, that is).

Of course, this really depends on your goals for the pond. If you plan on feeding the fish, the FHM plan is not as important. Keep in mind LMB do not pellet train easily and are, as JPsDad states, are difficult to manage in a small pond. The overpopulate in a hurry. There are benefits from having an overpopulation of stunted LMB and it lends itself to growing larger BG/HBG. reed up on it here...

https://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=189988#Post189988

Side note: Look into HBG and HSB. Both feed train well and HBG reproduce less than the prolific BG. HSB do not reproduce at all in 99.9% of the ponds their stocked in, but must be ladder stocked most yearly.

As far as getting BG from a stunted pond...get the YOY not the larger fish. The larger fish will likely grow better in your new pond, but will be older and never grow to their original potential. They won't get near trophy size if they have suffered a lack of food.

I really like the idea of the single sex pond the JPs talks about, but it's not for everyone as it does take someone that really gets into the hobby to spend the time managing it. The easiest would be CC and pellet feed (catch and ladder stock)...the higher level would be single sex due to the efforts put into catching and sorting fish to put in your pond. This is much less of an effort with a 1/12 acre pond. It just depends on how much effort you can sustain throughout the up coming years.

Welcome to the forums!


Fish on!,
Noel