# New Pond!



## F1504X4

Well they finished our new pond yesterday! It is roughly 1 acre and maybe a little bigger. It averages 12 ft in the bottom except for the hole on the other side of my truck which is about 15 feet deep right now so will be close to 25-29ft when it's full. On the right side of the picture you can get a good idea of the slope of the bank! I will be putting in some structure the next few days so hopefully that will be done before we get any rain! In a few years we'll be ready to do some fishing!


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## hang_loose

Very nice job F1504x4!!! If you're going to put a dock in, do it now. Its a lot easier while its dry.


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## F1504X4

We're gonna have a stationary deck on shore and then once its full we will have a floating dock off of it.


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## Lightman

Looks good. With those kind of depths are you going to stock any perch or 'eyes?


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## F1504X4

Well, tonight we put in a rock pile, then we had some sandstone pieces about 2 feet long and 4x4 square that we stacked 2 by 2 crisscrossing them creating square pillars then we had some clay field tile that we stacked in a pyramid. To cap it all off we got 7 semi tires from the excavator that we laid in the bottom to create a tube! Oh yeah, we also had 3 Steel Pallets that we stacked on top of each other to create 3 shelves! Now all we need is a couple Hurricanes to swing up this way and drop some rain to fill er up! 

Lightman......I dont think we will put those in but who knows when it comes time. I think we were looking at LM, gills, and Channels.


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## NewbreedFishing

dont mess it up by putting in perch/crappie.

looks/sounds great...nice addition of structure. 
do your rain dance


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## Marshall

Making pvc trees is easy and very nice to fish around because you don't snag them. You can get real creative or keep it simple. Also another easy addition would be to make stake beds. They are all over kentucky lake and the fish use them. Just drive a bunch of wooden stakes in the ground at whatever depths you want close together. Obviously if you are going to swim make sure you mark them. Your pond looks nice enjoy it.


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## Mr.Versatility

Very nice. Don't forget the minnows when you order from the propagator. Also with that depth, you can consider SM Bass also. Are you stocking that hole soon? Maybe some adult bass now will promote a spawn next season? Is the current water from a spring or is your watershed going to be runoff? I have 2 large ponds, very old, and the farm runoff does cause algae blooms under hot conditions.

This is the right time to hard pipe in advance for any future aeration/fountains.


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## firstflight111

plant some wild rice  ducks love rice and millet !$!$!$!$!$


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## F1504X4

It will be filled by runoff. Fortunately, none of the immediate property around the pond in the watershed is going to be farmed anymore since its all been turned into CRP so hopefully that will greatly reduce the amount of chemicals going into the water. I haven't thought about putting any fish in that hole this year. I am hesitant about moving them from one pond to ours because I'm not crazy about transferring diseases or contaminants from another pond. Is this something I should be concerned about or am I just being overprotective of my pond? 

I wouldn't mind picking up a few adult LM this fall if there is a propagator within a reasonable driving distance.


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## F1504X4

I believe we are putting in a windmill with possibly 2 diffusers. I think we are planning on that next spring.


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## [email protected]

F1504x4, you are correct in your concern for the transfer of diseases from pond to pond. I would highly recommend stocking the pond with fish solely from a disease free certified propagator. As far a fish stocking is concerned, I would take the advantage of have a freshly dug pond and stock with fingerlings of the same size. This will promote a balance of population between species. In addition, if the initial stocking is adult largemouth they will not have forage. Yellow perch and Black crappie are excellent pond species. However, you must continually stock minnows for forage over the first three years until they reach a size allowing them to consume bluegill spawn. White crappie are very detrimental to a pond. If you stocked smallmouth they would be out competed by the largemouth, thus not recommend to stock together. ATAC fish hatchery in Lebanon, Ohio has all the species mentioned above in various fingerling sizes and can deliver to your location.


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## Marshall

Yep i would start from srcatch. Let them grow up together. A few adult fish will just feed on any fingerlings you stock.


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## [email protected]

When catching fish to transfer you really have no idea how old they are. That 16" bass you catch could be 1 year old or 10. A 1 year old 16"er is gonna get a lot bigger than a 10 year old one given equal food. Fingerlings are cheap and they'll grow really fast if managed to do so. Fingerling to 4lb bass and 10" bluegills in 2 years is very possible with good management.


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## SummersOff

Whatever you decide on stocking get some minnows in as soon as you can. they will start to spawn i believe up t 6 times a year. then when you are ready to stock you will have some serious forage fish.


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## die4irish

If I had to do it over again I would be patient and stock it with only fatheads and golden shiners and let them bread for a yr, then introduce fish


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## Rednek

F1504X4 said:


> Well, tonight we put in a rock pile, then we had some sandstone pieces about 2 feet long and 4x4 square that we stacked 2 by 2 crisscrossing them creating square pillars then we had some clay field tile that we stacked in a pyramid. To cap it all off we got 7 semi tires from the excavator that we laid in the bottom to create a tube! Oh yeah, we also had 3 Steel Pallets that we stacked on top of each other to create 3 shelves! Now all we need is a couple Hurricanes to swing up this way and drop some rain to fill er up!


You have a great looking pond.

I'm glad you started to add structure. Fish don't like to live in a bathtub. Take that trackhoe and go dig some trenches here and there and don't grade the bottom. Leave the dirt piles.

I wouldn't transfer fish from another pond. Start from scratch. No sense starting with issues. Issues will come in due time.

The biggest mistake I made when I stocked my pond was adding 100 channel cat. 7 years laters at 4-6lb they eat a lot of bluegill and fish food. I have the catfish count down to about 40 now.


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## DWC

I just bought an American Eagle 23 foot windmill with two diffusers which is useless to me since the guy stopped in the middle of building the pond and said he couldn't continue because of sand. I checked and double checked with him to make sure things looked okay before buying, all to no avail. The wheel is all assembled and the tower is assembled. I have everything that goes with it except the original boxes. Will disassemble as needed. While take $250 off what I paid for it. If you are interested send me a note, doug


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## F1504X4

Well, thanks to the several inches of rain over the last week the pond has filled, or is at least within 6 inches of being full. I was surprised to see a couple small schools of "baitfish" already in there and either a small BG or Bass. I am not exactly sure how they got there but they are in there. Now with Christmas close, people will be getting rid of their trees after the Holidays and once a good layer of ice is on I will tie several trees together with concrete blocks and place them on the ice. I would like to get 3 or 4 groups of trees placed around the pond for more structure! 

To go with the pond, we also have approximately 11 acres of new wetland full of water and already attracting some ducks! I love it!


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## Mushijobah

Awesome man! LMK if you need help with any problem ducks/geese 

Also, that's pretty odd that there's already fish.. I'm going to go out on a limb and say they have been in there for a little while (when there was barely any water). How long before you posted the original picture was there a small pool of water in the deep end?


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## F1504X4

The small pool of water on the back side of my truck has been there since may/june. With all the rain over the beginning of the summer it pushed the workers out for a few months until the ground got hard enough to start with the big equipment again.


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## maassen

nice looking pond


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## liwaj79

Do you have any pictures of the finished pond?


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## Jigging Jim

Sounds like it's going to be a great pond. Lots of creativity and planning going into it. If I ever get some land, I'd like to have a pond built. Sounds like a fun project!


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## F1504X4

I went out today to get some pictures but since it was covered with ice and now has snow piled on top of it you cant make anything out. If and when this snow melts I will get some current pics.


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## getitgetit

Do you have any pics of the pond now


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## F1504X4

LOL......I was out yesterday and should have taken pictures but now it is covered in snow AGAIN! 

We have been looking at the American Eagle windmills......Does anybody have any experience with these?

DWC, I have sent you a couple pm's as we are very interested in your windmill. PM me if you are still interested in getting rid of it.


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## ChrisB

F1504X4 said:


> Well they finished our new pond yesterday! It is roughly 1 acre and maybe a little bigger. It averages 12 ft in the bottom except for the hole on the other side of my truck which is about 15 feet deep right now so will be close to 25-29ft when it's full. On the right side of the picture you can get a good idea of the slope of the bank! I will be putting in some structure the next few days so hopefully that will be done before we get any rain! In a few years we'll be ready to do some fishing!


Could Get a jump start on fishing. Every other year a few hatcheries from Arkansas would make a trip up and sell us bluegill hybrids and largemouth dirt cheap. Farley hatchery was one and I think Dunn's hatchery was the other. Call around and see if you can get a good price per pound on adult size fish. P.S. avoid hatcheries like Jones. They are middlemen. There good for feeder minnows and other baitfish but there not true hatcheries. They buy fish from other hatcheries and keep them in there ponds untill there sold. Midwest Fish Farms out in Loveland is a good bet sometimes. There number is 513-575-0124, ask for Dan. I've bought cats and trout dirt cheap from him. They were all very heathly fish. He just has a truck to haul fish which is invaluable and he has lots of connections so he can get many species, not all the time, but I've always been pleased with his professionalism. Great looking pond by the way! Word of advice, put your skids or christmas trees in shallower water where the sun will shine the most in the early spring for a better baitfish spawn.


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## bags

put pike in there and smallies dont waste time wiht walleye unless your ice fishing and perch too. but only put about 8-10 pike cuz they eat a ton!! have fun!!


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## bkr43050

bags said:


> put pike in there and smallies dont waste time wiht walleye unless your ice fishing and perch too. but only put about 8-10 pike cuz they eat a ton!! have fun!!


I am not sure on the carrying capacity of a pond for pike but I would think that 8-10 pike would really be excessive. They grow rapidly and within a couple of years they would really dominate the pond. I have always heard a target of up to 40-50 # of bass per acre for a healthy ratio. If you have 8-10 mature pike you will already be exeeding that number with just those fish in a short time. I could be wrong. Perhaps some others have experience with stocking in ponds and can provide some input.


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## Carpman

I just stocked pike......put 10 in the pond. They are thriving well and do not mess with the bass or bluegill. You need to have a lot, I mean a lot of fatheads or goldens to feed them and the rest of the fish. The pike are very aggressive, already caught three this spring. Good luck with them if you stock them.


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## [email protected]

BKR, I think you're right on with your bass ratio. Pike would be included in that number so for good growth in a 1 acre pond you'd be able to support 10 5lbers each or in combination with bass. I have read of some using pike to control bass populations, mainly to cull small to mid size bass but this is at stockings of around 2-4 per acre in situations. Tiger musky would really be a better choice for this as reproduction would be unlikely and more easily managed. One problem with pike is they will outgrow bass and eat bass. Predators consuming other predators is a very ineffecient use of pond resources. Worst case....1000lbs of forage to grow 100lbs of bass to grow 10 lb of pike. A fish would rather eat 1 big meal rather than hundreds of little ones. Fish grow better in this way too as they aren't expending large amounts of energy chasing small snacks.


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## F1504X4

Well, I talked to m dad yesterday and he said that he ordered fish the other day. I guess they should be delivered next week! Thanks ATAC!


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## F1504X4

Fish get delivered tomorrow!:Banane36::Banane36:


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## F1504X4

Well, we got the fish delivered yesterday. We ended up doing LM, Red ear, Hybrids, Channel Cats, and the Black Crappie will be delivered once the water cools back down in the fall. We also put in the fatheads as forage fish. All the fish looked very healthy and took right off! I would highly recommend ATAC to anybody looking to stock a pond!


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## Mushijobah

Good deal! Would love to see some pics of the pond versus what it looked like when you first posted about it.


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## jcustunner24

Mushijobah said:


> Good deal! Would love to see some pics of the pond versus what it looked like when you first posted about it.


I second this motion. I've been following this post since you started. Let's see some pics!


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## [email protected]

Did you stock wipers or hybrid bluegill? Are you planning to feed pellets? Based on the stocking and timing, it's sounding like you may be set up for a forage shortage. What sizes and numbers were stocked? What are future stocking plans?


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## F1504X4

ok guys! I will get current pictures next time I'm out there. I will be next week sometime. We were thinking about feeding pellets but everything we have read says that it needs to be at the same time everyday, is this correct. None of us have the time to be out there every day let alone at the same time every day. I believe they put in at least 7lbs of fatheads. Its no big deal if we have to put more in later in the year. We are looking at getting the windmill installed sometime late summer or early fall. 

We got the hybrid bluegills.

I'll work on getting the pics asap!


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## keith_r

feeding at the same time every day helps condition the fish..feeding whenever you can, i would think would still help to some extent

there are some good auto feeders out there you might want to check out..


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## [email protected]

F150 got a typical Ohio pond stocking for one acre.

100 Largemouth
150 Bluegill
150 Redears
200 Hybrid Bluegill
50 Channel Catfish
40 lbs Fatheads

Feeding everyday at the same time will condition the fish to being fed in your pond. Sporadic feeding will still benefit the bluegill sp. and the catfish as both will readily take pellets. The largemouth need more consistency to continue to eat pellets and the redears will not eat them at all. A fish feeder is a great option for absentee pond owners who would like to see the full benefits of a fish feeding program.


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## [email protected]

Is this stocking strategy for a pond that will be on a pellet feeding program? 

Why are hybrid bluegills so heavily stocked/recommended here in Ohio? In my experience, the hybrids outgrew the standard bluegill initially then after 3 years the standards had outgrown the hybrids. Reproduction of hybrid bluegill is low or almost non-existant and F2s and those hybridxstandard offspring are inferior in growth rate and top size to the pure and contribute little to forage yet their large mouths allow them to prey heavily on fathead minnows/ bluegill fry thus competing with bass. This isn't as big of a deal when feeding pellets but in an unfed pond???

Why are redears stocked in equal proportion to standard bluegill? I understand the snail/parasite benefits but reproduction is low and studies and experience here in Ohio show that the redears don't exhibit the fantastic growth that they do South of Ohio.


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## heyiknowyou

just a thought for feeding the blue gills... i've seen pond owners hang mesh bags of table scraps over the top of the water so that flies lay their eggs in the scraps. As the maggots hatch they fall off into the water and provide a source of food for the gills. Just have to deal with the smell for a bit.


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## F1504X4

Here is a picture from this morning. Looks like a hole full of water!


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## [email protected]

Nice! Thanks for the pics. Easy to maintain bank slopes, nice flat areas to cast from. Mid August is the best time to plant grass seed but it would be good to try to get some vegetation cover on the edges of the pond and in any swales as soon as possible to reduce erosion/muddying of the water and so you don't have to walk through the mud while admiring the fruits of your labor.


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## F1504X4

What would be some good cover vegetation that you would suggest. At the far end it has more of a gradual slope to some depth so I was thinking that would be best place for it. I dont want anything thats gonna grow out of control or that is gonna be more of a pain than a benefit.


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## [email protected]

It's pretty hard to beat grass. It grows dense and locks in the soil. You'll probably want to mow around the pond occasionally to keep trees from growing and make it easier to acccess.

I bought a pasture blend from TSC to seed my banks as soon as it was built. This was full of clover and grows fast...neither are a good thing IMO.

After trying 4 or 5 different types/blends what has done best for me and has the most ideal charactistics is the Athletic Turf Blend that Heritage Coop sells. It grows very dense, is far less dependant on fertilizer to look good than others I've tried, grows slow and consistantly over a wide range of areas from high and dry to low and wet and in various soils from sandy clay to loam. I have a little over an acre planted with it and it grows so dense that weeds don't seem to be able to compete. It's slower to green up in Spring than a bluegrass lawn but takes the heat of Summer far better.

The key to getting a good stand is mulch/moisture. 10 bales of straw per acre...don't skimp as straw is a lot cheaper than reseeding. My county used to and may still loan out a straw chopper/spreader for free to residents.


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## F1504X4

Ok, so i went out and walked the edge of the pond yesterday and noticed there are Thousands, i mean thousands of tiny minnows along the shore line. Lucas, Is it possible that the fatheads spawned? The bass and bluegill were in heaven chasing them! Some of the bass were jumping out of the water to get them! It was a heck of a show!


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## [email protected]

Sounds great. I would be surprised if your fatheads had not spawned by now. It is also possible that your bluegill and redear could have spawned.


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## markfish

well you ask abought vegitation it all depends on what depth you want to put some in there is a farm pond thats 30 years old and 5 years ago they put in some lilt pads but put up old post and fenching so they wont get out of control in 3to4 foot of water and there doing great and not growing past fence line good place for the babys to hide and not get all ate up,nice looking pond


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## [email protected]

If you want lillies, it's usually best to stick with hardy hybrid lillies especially the smaller varieties. Choose carefully as many types, especially native lillies and lotus can be extremely invasive and difficult to remove. I had some difficultly in growing them because my pond fluctuates a few feet every year and my grass carp kept uprooting them. That may have been the reason the pond owner erected the fence in the pond Markfish brought up as they would easily grow through or propogate by seed through a fence unless it was extremely tight mesh as the seeds are quite small.


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## F1504X4

Last night I took my daughter and my niece and nephew out fishing. We caught 10-15 gills, 15+bass and a catfish. They had so much fun!


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## TCK

heyiknowyou said:


> just a thought for feeding the blue gills... i've seen pond owners hang mesh bags of table scraps over the top of the water so that flies lay their eggs in the scraps. As the maggots hatch they fall off into the water and provide a source of food for the gills. Just have to deal with the smell for a bit.


My uncle has 2 small ponds on his farm. Any groundhogs that we shot or any roadkill went to the pond. He built a small 2x4 frame, covered it with poultry mesh, attached a screw eye to it and a length of line. Put the dead animal on the frame and push it out onto the water. The maggots fell from the carcasas and fed the fish.


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