Pond Stocking

[Spencie]

We have a pond that might be half an acre. It has a few bass and bluegill in it but there are more crappie than anything. We have been trying to take the crappie out. With all the dirt work around the house and the rain this year it has been a chocolate color all spring and the fishing has been lousy. I just saw where Arkansas Pond stockers truck will be in the area for one hour next week. They provide an assortment of fish fingerlings. We want to make the pond kid fun with bass, bluegill and sunfish. Can anyone offer some advice on what we should get...if anything. Will it be worth it or should we just replenish the old fashion way by transporting fish from other water sources?

 

[Spencie]

 

["J"]

@jagermeister

 

[jagermeister]

Sunfish like bluegill are obviously kid-friendly, so that’s a no brainer. But you’re going to want a predator species to keep them in check... Largemouth and / or channel catfish. I would do a mix of all three, maybe also the redear sunfish (they get pretty big). Here’s a link to a pond stocking handbook produced by the OSU Extension office. It’s short sweet and to the point. One MAJOR concern is the water temperature in your pond. You don’t want to stock fish when it’s over 70-degrees or so. Otherwise you may waste your money on a large fish kill.
https://woodlandstewards.osu.edu/sites/woodlands/files/imce/0010_0.pdf

 

[jagermeister]

Also, I would wait until your county Soil and Water Conservation District office has their annual fish stocking sale. I’m not 100% certain, but those prices you listed look higher than I would have guessed. You will likely get a better bargain going through your county SWCD office.

 

[Spencie]

Also, I would wait until your county Soil and Water Conservation District office has their annual fish stocking sale. I’m not 100% certain, but those prices you listed look higher than I would have guessed. You will likely get a better bargain going through your county SWCD office.

All good info....thanks. Your avatar pic...Jack Paluh???

 

[jagermeister]

All good info....thanks. Your avatar pic...Jack Paluh???

Actually its a John Buxton. I keep telling myself I’m going to buy a print to hang in my office some day. Just can’t bring myself to spending $500 on a picture yet. lol

 

[HE>I]

I have a 1/2 acre pond (8' - 15' deep) that unfortunately has had 2 summer kills (rolled over after thunderstorms) and 1 winter kill (late ice out, gill fungus) in the past 30 years. Luckily we have a lot of farm ponds and lakes I have access to so grabbed rods, barrels and transported back to my place. Only fish I've bought are grass carp.

 

[Spencie]

Actually its a John Buxton. I keep telling myself I’m going to buy a print to hang in my office some day. Just can’t bring myself to spending $500 on a picture yet. lol

Check out Jack Paluh...I have a couple of prints very similar to that.

 

[bowhunter1023]

The redears will be great. They do get pretty big (ate a few this weekend) and they fight like hell on an ultralight.

 

[Buckmaster]

To start over I’d kill everything off and stock with fathead minnows and golden shiners. Give them a year or two to spawn and flourish. Create a minnow cocktail for future bass stocking. In 2022 add baby bluegill, hybrid bluegill, catfish, largemouth bass, a couple striper Bass, and 6 Amur. You’ll be set. That’s what began in 2007. I still have many original stockings left. Today I average 1# gills, 5# bass, 10# cats, and 40” Amur.

 

[Stressless]

I would buy from local fish hatchery's, I use Fenders as he's close and been in business for decades. Steve is good dude, - there are others - Google and they'll show up.

Get your chemistry right, get a pH test, adjust that first, no different then a food plot, 'cept you're growing fish not veggies// but the food chain for a pond all starts with the veggies.

Structure and cover, the little guys have to have a place to hide, if you do what @Buckmaster said without the first two it won't 'stay'.

I've got three ponds and have been corrective stocking for three years:

Fishbowl Pond - 1.5 acre, family swimming hole, 22' deep
Figure 8 Pond - 1.25 acre, 15' deep
Long Pond - 2.5 acre 20' deep

It's all about the memories... My daughter about 25 years ago headed to Figure 8 pond.

If you want the best 'panfish' experience for eating without a reproductive rate that will usually stunt that's called a Hybred Bluegill, 99% they are sterile (can't breed) grow fast and are aggressive. For quality expert advice I suggest going over and doing some information mining on the PondBoss Forum. This forum is a great resource but over there they have a couple dudes with Doctorates in pond management. Aeration, stocking, feed (minnows and pellets), weed control, etc ...

At the end I got the best advice from Steve at Fenders, "what do you like to catch and eat" I.e., don't stock catfish if you don't want to clean the slimy bastards. So I've been stocking Walleye and Perch... and taking out other predators to make room for what I like.

Tight Lines and many kid shouts!

 

[bowhunter1023]

Marlows are still in business if you haven't talked with them.

www.marlowfish.com

 

[Spencie]

I had forgotten there is a local hatchery. Their prices are better. Going to talk with them about what they suggest.

 

[bowhunter1023]

After seeing their prices, I can see me placing an order. Our farm pond is terrible fishing thanks to an infestation of little bluegill and no predators. Looks like some redears, hybrids, and some nice bass are in my future. Might actually spend our puppy proceeds on a nice stocking.

 

[giles]

I’ve only ever been to one pond that has kept kids busy for days! It doesn’t have any of the fish mentioned here. @OhioWhiteTails had the kids pond thing figured out. Perch don’t nibble on kids swimming either.

 

[Sgt Fury]

https://jonesfish.com/collections/fish-stocking
This is the company that I used to stock my pond in Vinton county.

 

[CJD3]

Also I might add that bringing in species of fish caught in outside water's risks contamination of the whole pond.
Stick to the county fish sales or a recommended commercial hatchery as mentioned above.

 

[OhioWhiteTails]

Bluegill are known for biting in small ponds. To each their own, but I don't want my kids being scared to swim. I chose perch as my main fish. They're easily pellet trained if not already from the stocking supplier. As for predators, largemouth will rule the pond and are prolific spawners. They've taken over many ponds that friends and family have owned. I would go with walleye or hybrid stripers for predators. They won't spawn so you can keep a better eye on the balance. So far I've managed to grow some big perch with the average size around 10". I have 5 age classes of perch, all eating pellets. I'm the main predator to keep them from getting stunted. Everyone has bass and bluegill, I went a different route. Good luck with the stocking project.

 

[Spencie]

You have an amazing pond @OhioWhiteTails . Mine is a woods pond and I doubt there will be any swimming.