Pond stocking

[Mitchell8]

Building 1/2-3/4 acre pond. Bait fish, bass are the goal to stock in there. Anyone have black crappie in a pond less than an acre?

[canny]

I would suggest leaving the crappie out if you want your pond to thrive. Crappie are super prolific spawners and will feed heavily on bass fry and bluegill fry.

[Mitchell8]

Thanks probably rather have blue gill and some 4-5lb bass in a small pond

[Chase This!]

Fathead minnows, coppernose bluegill and either Florida or F1 bass. I’d go with some 1-2# bass to cut the timeline down.

Second vote for no crappie.

[CEO]

Ours is a little over 3/4. It's about 50 years old so has went through an assortment of fish. I've added coppernose bluegill and generally tilapia each spring. Took a while to get the bass in check, but they are a lot healthier now.

Mark me down as well for no crappie. Look up The Pond Boss on Youtube. A lot of great info there.

[canny]

Thanks probably rather have blue gill and some 4-5lb bass in a small pond

I'm assuming that you have done your research on the construction side by making sure that you have good quality spawning areas and protection for the bluegill. The forage base is where its at, give your forage species time to get established before introducing the bass. If you build it now I would even consider waiting until the fall to stock the bass. Tilapia is a good option down the road for large forage options that will target your larger bass. They will not survive the winter, but that is good as it makes easy food for the larger bass as they prepare for the spawn. Just like deer, the healthier the bass are pre-spawn the better production you will get.

In regards to bass strains it really depends on your goal. The Florida strains do get larger, but some believe they are more picky eaters which makes them less catchable compared to the northern strain of largemouth.

[Chase This!]

If you wait to stock in the fall, I’ll be able to sell you some bass! We’ll be culling again. Definitely get the bait going asap. And habitat. As much brush as you can put in there. And if you have power, aeration is really important.

[Mitchell8]

Thanks!

[TeamAmerica]

I've recently discovered Bamabass on YouTube. It's a dream pond for me. He tags every single bass and logs growth. Find some experts.

And avoid crappie.

[Chase This!]

Thanks!

NP! Shoot me a DM if I can be of any assistance. We started our project 4+ years ago. It’s been a lot of fun and lot’s of learning.