Dream Pond - What would you stock?

[Chad]

Let's say you suddenly inherited a nice track of rural property here in Nebraska with 2 ponds - a 1-acre pond and a 5-acre pond. Both ponds have recently filled, have a healthy, well-balanced ecology, but no fish... yet.

What would you stock in each pond? What would your management objective be?


Here's what I'd do:

1-acre pond: BG and lots of LMB possibly some HSB. Managed for BIG BG.

5-acre pond: BG, LMB, CC (possibly crappie, if they didn't show up on their own ). Managed for an all-around balanced fishery.

Then I'd make a little clearing for a campsite between the two and spend most weekends out there between April and September with the family.

[Shorty]

Smallmouth and Redears in the 1 acre pond. Once the SMB and RES were big enough to survive predation they would get transfered into the bigger pond.

Bass Fishing Resource Guide® - Stocking Smallmouth Bass

LMB, BG, and Channel catfish in the 5 acre pond.

[burrodebo]

Originally Posted by Chad

Here's what I'd do:

1-acre pond: BG and lots of LMB possibly some HSB. Managed for BIG BG.

5-acre pond: BG, LMB, CC (possibly crappie, if they didn't show up on their own ). Managed for an all-around balanced fishery.

Then I'd make a little clearing for a campsite between the two and spend most weekends out there between April and September with the family.

Pretty much exactly what I would do. I would think about throwing a serious predator or two in each pond though -- like a big ol' muskie or a big ol' flathead, just for fun.

[Tone2129]

[Chad]

Originally Posted by Shorty

Smallmouth and Redears in the 1 acre pond. Once the SMB and RES were big enough to survive predation they would get transfered into the bigger pond.

Bass Fishing Resource Guide® - Stocking Smallmouth Bass

LMB, BG, and Channel catfish in the 5 acre pond.

Shorty,

How will the SMB and RES interact/compete with the other species once transfered to the bigger pond?

[Shorty]

The RES will do fine as they will focus on eating snails instead of competing for other food sources with the BG, they also have a lower reproductive rate which means they could get very large. RES have crusher teeth in the back of their throats to crush snail shells, BG lack these crusher teeth. This means that the RES have their own food niche with little competition for it. Snails and fish eating birds are part of the life cycle of some fish parasites, eliminate the snails and you will see fewer parasites on most of the remaining fish. With fewer parasites and a healthier overall fish population you should see better growth rates in the pond. The SMB will do OK but will not likely reproduce much with BG present. BG have a tendency to harass and eat SMB eggs/fry and the SMB will need to be stocked periodically to maintain their presence in the larger pond.

[Chad]

Sounds like a good mix.

If I remember correctly, the Commission recently stoked RES and SMB in a reservoir near Grand Island. I can't remember the name of it??? Iron Horse??? Steel Hammer??? Bronze Sickle???

I also seem to remember something about RES and BG hybridizing and eventually "breeding out" the BG???

[Shorty]

If I remember correctly, the Commission recently stoked RES and SMB in a reservoir near Grand Island. I can't remember the name of it??? Iron Horse??? Steel Hammer??? Bronze Sickle???

War Axe.

I also seem to remember something about RES and BG hybridizing and eventually "breeding out" the BG???

You might see some hybrids if the RES densities are low enough, , but you won't "breed out" the BG. The RES will spawn once a year while the BG will spawn multiple times during the year.

Breeding between BG and RES - Pond Boss Forum

[Alex T.]

Well,if it's the right rural area,I'd groom it for snow geese. As far as fish go,since nothing is adaptable in our waters except gills,bass,and channels(at least that how it seems since the NGPC says so and that is what is stocked 99.99% of the time in any waters around here),I guess that's what would get stocked.

Alex

[Chad]

Oops, I meant breed out the RES...

Thanks for the link, I will read up.

[Chad]

Great read, Shorty - Thanks!
I really liked this pic.


Alex, I would have expected you to stock crappie and grow 'em BIG.

[BadBass]

White perch, Carp and Snakeheads would be one heck of a farm pond!!

I want LMB's and gills in my perfect farm pond. It would be 2 or 3 acres with a fair amont of standing timber and defined weed edges. Lots of 10-15 inch largemouths to keep the gill population down and have a blast catching. The perfect farm pond in my eyes gives you the opportunity to catch 10" plus gills and lots of decent sized bass.

-Drew

Love the new forum chad!

[Alex T.]

Chad,
Ya don't stock crappies,they show up on their own.Plus,I'd hate to implement a size restriction on them. Actually,I'd go to DUNNS FISH FARM and get a bunch of hybrid bluegills,black crappie,and bass. A few channels too.

Alex

[Aquaman]

My dream pond would have male bluegills, female redear sunfish, smallmouth and yellow perch.

This would give me the perfect combination of trophy potential, pelleted feed acceptance, low reproduction and opportunity for fly-fishing.

The bluegill would cross with the redears giving a really rapidly growing and beautiful F-1 cross. The smallmouth and yellow perch both have low fedundity, so their reproduction would cancel each other out as the YOY smallies would eat the YOY yellow perch.

[GenericAngler]

Since this is all theoretical, my farm pond(s) would not be in southeastern Nebraska. They would be in the mountains/foothills somewhere about 700 or 800 miles West of here...give or take a couple hundred miles.

My ponds would require a "hike to get to" and would be deep enough and cool enough to support yellow perch. Bluegill, crappie and cats would also be welcome

A nice place to pitch a tent and build a fire close to the banks in order to eat my catch, drink a few cold ones and enjoy the stars and open air without the sounds of cars or the ring of technology. (Maybe a little shed to store my float tubes and supplies.)

[Frosch]

Originally Posted by GenericAngler

Since this is all theoretical, my farm pond(s) would not be in southeastern Nebraska. They would be in the mountains/foothills somewhere about 700 or 800 miles West of here...give or take a couple hundred miles.

My ponds would require a "hike to get to" and would be deep enough and cool enough to support yellow perch. Bluegill, crappie and cats would also be welcome

A nice place to pitch a tent and build a fire close to the banks in order to eat my catch, drink a few cold ones and enjoy the stars and open air without the sounds of cars or the ring of technology. (Maybe a little shed to store my float tubes and supplies.)

Can I come vist?
I agree with Chad the smaller pond. I would manage it strictly for giant "aquamanian" BGs.
The larger pond I would stock with BG, LMB, CC, wipers, muskie, pike,smallmouth,flatheads,redears and trout. I would it manage so they all would grow to gigantic size............ Hey you said DREAM POND right.
IF that didint work I would do LMB,BG,CC and muskie. Managed for big LMBs.

[GenericAngler]

Originally Posted by Frosch

Can I come vist?

I was kinda hungry when I wrote that.....on second thought (and with a full stomach) I have decided that green carp of either the large or small mouth variety would also be welcome

[DiggerDog]

Originally Posted by Aquaman

My dream pond would have male bluegills, female redear sunfish, smallmouth and yellow perch.

This would give me the perfect combination of trophy potential, pelleted feed acceptance, low reproduction and opportunity for fly-fishing.

The bluegill would cross with the redears giving a really rapidly growing and beautiful F-1 cross. The smallmouth and yellow perch both have low fedundity, so their reproduction would cancel each other out as the YOY smallies would eat the YOY yellow perch.

I like the way you think Aquaman. That would be a nicely stocked pond.

My wife and I have a little bit of land and we've discussed adding ponds, in what size, and what to stock them with. It's still a work in progress.

[Aquaman]

Originally Posted by DiggerDog

I like the way you think Aquaman. That would be a nicely stocked pond.

My wife and I have a little bit of land and we've discussed adding ponds, in what size, and what to stock them with. It's still a work in progress.

Do you have a well? If so you could do a pond like this on a fairly small piece of land. You'd be surprised how much excellent fishing you could have with 1/4 acre. I've seen it in practice. Follow your dream!

[DiggerDog]

Originally Posted by Aquaman

Do you have a well? If so you could do a pond like this on a fairly small piece of land. You'd be surprised how much excellent fishing you could have with 1/4 acre. I've seen it in practice. Follow your dream!

We have a well, but the head is a distance from where we would like the ponds. We are thinking something along the lines 3 to 5 acre ponds.