Recommendations on fish for pond

[rtimgray]

We dug out an old pond last summer when it was nearly dry, and now I'd like to put some fish into it.

The pond was more or less just a low spot that held water. Surface area was about 3/4 acre, more or less round - and about 12" to 18" deep of water and then mud. We started digging out with a trackhoe and two dozers and got as much of the mud out as we could. After we got the trackhoe stuck the 2nd time, we decided against cleaning it out all the way, so the middle part of the pond (maybe about 20%) still has the mud in it.

As we finished up, we raised the dam so the water level would be higher. Since our drought continued well into the fall, I was able to crawl out on the part of the pond we couldn't reach two months earlier with my little dozer. I ended up scraping a couple more feet off of it and piling it so as to make an island.

Now that water is in, I'm left with a pond that has a surface area of a little over and acre; it has an "above water" island that is about 30' diameter and an "underwater" island in the middle 20% of the pond. The water is about 4' deep over the "underwater" island and varies throughout the rest of the pond. There are a couple of areas that are about 10'-12', with a lot of the pond being 5'-6'. The banks have a relatively shallow angle.

The fish truck is coming to town in a few weeks and they have largemouth bass, bluegill, hybrid bluegill, channel catfish, fathead minnows, and sterile grass carp (weed control?).

I'm not going to be fertilizing or feeding the fish to any degree. I'm also not much of a fisherman, but my kids and in-laws like to fish, so it's more for them. They have caught bluegill in the pond they fished in last summer and seemed to enjoy that. The fish folks have a website that estimates the number of fish for a given area, I'm just looking for recommendations on the type of fish to stock.

Sorry if I was long-winded about the pond, but I thought that recommendations might be better if you guys knew the environment.

Thanks.

 

[20 20]

largemouth bass, bluegill, hybrid bluegill, channel catfish, fathead minnows, and sterile grass carp (weed control?).


If you go with bass also go with bluegill they will keep each other under control. You can also go with/add cat fish just make sure they have cover. What part of the country are you in that can also make a difference on types of fish?

 

[MarkV]

Put in Bluegill and Fathead minnows now and let them be until Fall. That should start them breeding and then you can add Bass.

MarkV

 

[MMagis]

Before investing a lot of money in fish, I'd be darn sure that the pond will hold water. To be honest, I'd be shocked if it did. The “raised the dam part” worries me.

 

[jimmyj]

Where approximately are you? Maybe it makes a difference.

 

[rtimgray]

Oh yes, the pond holds water. It's been full since mid winter and shows no signs of leakage. I still have to install my spillway. The "dam" isn't really a dam - the pond is a low spot at the convergence of some valleys. The raising of the dam was only by a couple of feet anyway.

The pond is in the western Kentucky area.

 

[forgeblast]

Before putting them in, you need to get the small scale micro's going. Look at fatheads, crayfish, and any other single cell creatures that make up the food chain.
look on page 8 and 22 of the zetts fish farm catalog.
http://zettsfishhatchery.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/CompleteCatalog.pdf

 

[MMagis]

Oh yes, the pond holds water. It's been full since mid winter and shows no signs of leakage. I still have to install my spillway. The "dam" isn't really a dam - the pond is a low spot at the convergence of some valleys. The raising of the dam was only by a couple of feet anyway.

The pond is in the western Kentucky area.

Honestly, you need to give it one full summer/fall before you can say it's not leaking. A leak isn't someething that's easy to see or find, and there's so much moisture in the winter/spring that you'd never know if it was leaking. Just my thoughts.

 

[jinman]

If there are areas of shallows in your pond, the gray and white herons will come often for a picnic. They can really thin out your fish population. They will take 8"-10" catfish and bass also. Big herons will take fish as large as a couple of pounds. If you don't have them in your area, you may have plenty of time to get your fish population established to where it can support some outside predators. I would start with a couple hundred hybrid bluegill and 10 lb of flathead minnows. If you can double the minnows to 20 lb, that would be even better.

 

[boggen]

you may not want to stock everything right away, but rather do so, over a couple years.

do a internet search for "fisheries" plus your state. and you should come back with a few "fisheries" around you. and they normally have suggested stocking levels and how to stock your lake. and when to stock certain type of fish.

bass / catfish, you may want to wait and hold off, so your non predator type of fish has a chance to grow and get a little bit of a foot hold. so when the predator fish do get put in. they don't wipe out the others.

Pond Boss Magazine: Welcome also has some info on stocking lakes and setting them up as well.

 

[rtimgray]

you may not want to stock everything right away, but rather do so, over a couple years.

do a internet search for "fisheries" plus your state. and you should come back with a few "fisheries" around you. and they normally have suggested stocking levels and how to stock your lake. and when to stock certain type of fish.

bass / catfish, you may want to wait and hold off, so your non predator type of fish has a chance to grow and get a little bit of a foot hold. so when the predator fish do get put in. they don't wipe out the others.

Pond Boss Magazine: Welcome also has some info on stocking lakes and setting them up as well.

The fishery that I'm going to get the fish from has exactly that kind of information. I guess what I'm looking for is more of a question of "what's more fun to catch" kind of thing. As I mentioned, I don't fish and don't really plan to, but my kids and other folks I know like to, so I was wanting to stock fish that would provide entertainment for the fishermen (fisherpeople?) as much as anything else.

Thanks for the advice - it is much appreciated.

 

[jonyyuma]

I bought the Hybrid bluegill bream, they are supposed to get over 1 inch thick at the eyeballs, in ponds. I already had the channel catfish and a few regular type bream . Always interesting to dip a bait or hook up there.

 

[boggen]

it depends from person to person of what they like to eat and catch.

some folks just like using a bobber and a worm on the hook. to catch bluegill and like types of fish.
while others like a little row boat or paddle boat to cast there bass lines.
others like to catch channel cat.

being able to just stand on shore and cost a bobber into bluegill spawning beds will most likely satisfied most kids with short attention spans. atleast once they start biting and catching them.

bass fishing out in a boat takes more work.

catfish, it depends, some times on bobber with a hook in the regular day, vs at night.

some folks do like croppy errr crappy as i call them. some folks hate them. some folks think bottom dweling fish like catfish taste muddy. and end up calling trash fish. while others love them.

it all depends.

 

[rtimgray]

Well, we got the boat part covered - I lucked into finding one of the little 2 man bass boats (plastic or fiberglass, or something) on a local craigslist and got it for $80. We added a couple of boards for seats and two $10 paddles and we can go all over the pond now.

Educate me, please (I know zero about fishing) - why do you need a boat to catch bass? Do they just not come close to the shore line? If so, would bass even be suitable for my pond, given its relative small size and lack of depth?

Thanks.

 

[Western]

Just my two cents.

Flat head minnows as already recommended for sure.
As far as "Blue Gill" I would find "Copper nose" Blue gill.

Do a Google search or call a fish hatchery and find out the info on them, they eat less than standard blue gill and are more prolific, which will help your pond since the Copper nose will be the main food for your larger Bass and Catfish.

No way would I ever allow a Crappie in a pond that small either as a rule, they reproduce fast and are huge eaters. I have seen them in small ponds and they get stunted growth.

 

[keegs]

If there are areas of shallows in your pond, the gray and white herons will come often for a picnic. They can really thin out your fish population. They will take 8"-10" catfish and bass also. Big herons will take fish as large as a couple of pounds. If you don't have them in your area, you may have plenty of time to get your fish population established to where it can support some outside predators. I would start with a couple hundred hybrid bluegill and 10 lb of flathead minnows. If you can double the minnows to 20 lb, that would be even better.

Yeah...herons and river otter are both pesky preditors ..... maybe adding some rock formations and some old storm sewer pipes could provide some protection. I hear even old bed springs will do the job.

My pond is filled with large schools of minows but nothing else.

 

[rjok]

I would suggest going to pondboss.com and joining their forum. Lots of good information and very knowledgeable folks there,
Rick

 

[boggen]

when your in the boat. you can cast clear down the shore line. and just away from the vegitation / weeds that grow right near the shore line.

some times folks have better luck bass fishing by skimming the water in shaded tree areas. were you can not get to via shore line.

 

[Jeff Lary]

An 0.6 will take care of the Herons but you will have to be dilligent to keep em away.

 

[wolc123]

One things for sure, you dont have to worry about that pond drying up since you put it in a spot that was wet all the time anyhow. The only folks who have that problem are those who try and install ponds in well-drained soils and dont use adequate clay lining. If I were in your shoes, I would wait until late summer and stock it with bluegills (cheap, non-hybrid). Next summer, you can put in some largemouth bass. As others have mentioned, bluegills and largemouth are mutually self-supporting and will do a fine job keeping each other in check. The only thing that gets them out of wack is things like overharvesting the bass, allowing the bluegills to take over. I would get the bluegills from the hatchery, but I would get the bass from other sources. All bass-boats have livewells and local folks will be happy to bring you some live bass, full-grown, especially if they are friends, relatives, or someone you want to let use your pond. This method is much cheaper, produces a heartier strain of bass for the pond (wider gene pool), and eliminates the need to wait until they are "catching-size". One summer, I caught a bass 5 times in my own pond that I had caught in a local lake in the spring. No fish is funner for more folks than the bass which is why it is America's most popular fish. Skip the fatheads and the catfish, too much maintenence required.