# Stocking?



## FishJunky (May 20, 2004)

I have a buddy that has a 5acre pond with just LM's in it. I'm trying to talk him into putting something else in it. How much does it cost to stock a pond this size with gills and shad? How many gills and shad would you suggest? Thanks


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## [email protected] (Dec 22, 2006)

#1 don't stock shad. 

How big are the largest bass? How many bass were stocked and when? Were the bass purchased from a fish farm or stocked from other places? What is your buddy's goal for the pond as far as sizes, catch rates and interest in other species?


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## Cordon (Apr 12, 2005)

Contact these folks they have excellent advice and can really help you out!! They will send you back a spreadsheet with everything you need to do including aeration and baitfish!!!

http://jonesfish.com/default.asp


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## FishJunky (May 20, 2004)

Largest bass I've caught out of this pond is probley 6 to 7lbs. The avg. is 1lb. There are alot of dinks from 5 to 8inchs. I think he had a company bring them in about 10years ago.


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## [email protected] (Dec 22, 2006)

A 20+" bass can eat an a 6-7" bluegill but with an existing population of large bass, stocking bluegill of that size or larger is about your only option if the goals are to provide forage and another sportfish. Large, breeder size bluegills are often hard to find and expensive if purchased from a fish farm, likely around $3 each. You'd probably have to stock 300-500 to get a population established in good time. Golden shiners and fathead minnows would be an option if there are a lot of weeds for them to escape predation. Before investing money I would set some minnow traps, seine and a maybe throw a castnet to verify there aren't any other species present. The fish that were stocked first could be simply eating their offspring. A 6-7lb bass in an Ohio pond is excellent but without a forage species it may have reached it's peak. The real question is...what is the owners goal?


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## Brent Nickel (Jul 30, 2007)

For more reading you can get online on OSU's Ohioline
ohioline.osu.edu
A wealth of acurate information.


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