esshup,
This pond sounds like it completed its 2nd year from stocking. Brush/cover can make significant contributions to production. On its own, it can increase production double or more with otherwise equal water. I'll restate that. It can double the amount of food a pond's food chain produces with no additional nutrients. Most authors attribute this to the widely held perspective that increased attachment surface is responsible for producing substantially more food. So this seems a good way to control nutrient input while expanding the food production of nutrient limited pond.
5th year, well actually 4rd year from stocking panfish. First year was just forage fish, stocked in the Fall. Spring next year was Redear Sunfish, Hybrid Bluegills (1"-2.5" actually were more like 1"-1.5") and Yellow Perch (2"-4"). Couldn't source SMB that Fall so SMB were stocked a year behind the panfish (Hartley's). Following year HSB were stocked in the Spring and HBC were stocked that summer.
This pond has habitat from shallow to deep water, and gets runoff from corn/soybean ag fields via the tile system. Rock piles, whole trees, brush piles, rip rap along the majority of the bank, etc. Pond sides are 3:1, not a lot of spawning area, but enough that the BG/HBG find a way. Lots of brush in there for the YP to utilize as spawning habitat, in the late Spring, there is a good grassy area that floods and the GSH utilize that for spawning habitat.
