My dam was just finished this week on a new pond in northern Kentucky. I’m hopeful that it holds water and I’m excited to start creating a food chain. The pond is 1/2 acre and 18 feet deep in one tiny little spot right at the base of the dam. The goal is to make it a RES and SMB pond. As soon as it has water, my plan WAS to stock FHM and give them the summer to proliferate. In addition, I was planning to transplant a bunch of rusty crayfish from the creek at the bottom of the property into the pond. I know rusty crayfish are the devil, but they are the native species here so I don’t see any harm in expediting the inevitable.
The problem is this: No local hatcheries have any FHM.
I was considering gambusia instead and then ordering a double dose of FHM to stock in the fall with RES/SMB? Does this seem reasonable? Am I missing a better solution? Does anyone have a secret source of FHM reasonably close to the Cincinnati area?
