# Pond stocking suggestions?



## M.Magis (Apr 5, 2004)

I need to finally get around to getting fish stocked in our pond, but its not a typical new pond. Its been around for 25 years, and we initially stocked it with nothing but yellow perch and the occasional saugeye. Over time the perch got way overpopulated and stunted, and then about 5 years ago the bluegills showed up. Now theyre overpopulated and stunted. Im embarrassed to say I just found out that one of the sponsors here is ATAC Hatchery. And now I see that for any order over $200, delivery is free (transporting the fish is what's kept me from doing this sooner), so Ill be looking at spending at least that much. What I need is something to get the stunted fish under control as quickly as possible. My thoughts were to buy more than the recommended population of LM bass and channel cats. Let them do their job, with the understanding that eventually Ill need to take some out. Are there other fish that would also help? I plan to buy the larger size fish since I need them to eat other fish, and since I need to spend so much. The pond is not big, probably ½ acre or so, though pretty deep, 17 or so in spots. Will my initial plan work, or should I reconsider?


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## Lundy (Apr 5, 2004)

The hybrid stripers are fish eating machines and don't reproduce but I'm not sure how well they work to control bluegill populations. I know [email protected] has some in his pond.

How many flatheads can you catch to put in there?

I'm sure Brent at ATAC can give you some advice.


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## M.Magis (Apr 5, 2004)

Not many here lately.  
I did put one in there about 7-8 years ago, but darned if I could ever catch him again. 
The hybrid stripers were what I had in mind, but like you, I wasn't sure how they'd do with the bluegills.


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## [email protected] (Aug 19, 2010)

I would also recommend the HSB for additional assistance in reducing the bluegill overpopulation. In our reservoir, I actually saw a 10-12 lb HSB with a girthy (roughly 6" +) BG hanging out of its mouth. The largemouth will also help control the bluegills, but I would recommend they go in at the accelerated stocking size of 5-7" (same for the HSB). Having catfish is completely up to you, and you are correct in the fact that you will need to cull those fish out when they reach the 3 pound class. 
Here are the numbers I would stock for your 1/2 ac.
LMB- (50) 5-7" $2.95/ea
HSB - (25) 5-7" $3.00/ea
CCF - (25) 8-11" $1.50/ea
This will qualify for a free delivery! let me know if and when you are interested!


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## [email protected] (Dec 22, 2006)

HSB have earned a special place in my heart. I caught one a week or so ago on a 10" largemouth....they _are_ eating machines. I have read where they aren't effective at controlling bluegill but find this hard to believe. 

Personally, I'd stock 50 advanced HSB...maybe 8+" if you can find them...but I'm a little biased. If your not getting the desired results then add bass or channel cats if you really want them.

Caught these in about 45 minutes last week


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## coachfozz (Mar 19, 2006)

[email protected] said:


> HSB have earned a special place in my heart. I caught one a week or so ago on a 10" largemouth....they _are_ eating machines. I have read where they aren't effective at controlling bluegill but find this hard to believe.
> 
> Personally, I'd stock 50 advanced HSB...maybe 8+" if you can find them...but I'm a little biased. If your not getting the desired results then add bass or channel cats if you really want them.
> 
> Caught these in about 45 minutes last week


Nice Fish, I would love to catch and release a few there some day


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## M.Magis (Apr 5, 2004)

Well, my team of eating machines were delivered today. I went with Brent&#8217;s suggestion of 50/25/25. I sure was tempted to add more wipers, but decided to start with these and let everything stabilize for a while. I was a little worried if I started out with too many wipers they may out compete the largemouths, so we&#8217;ll see how it goes. 
I wanted to thank Brent, Sam ( I think?) in the office, and the young man that delivered them. Everything was so simple. If I knew stocking the pond was this simple and affordable, I&#8217;d have done it 10 years ago.


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## [email protected] (Aug 19, 2010)

No problem Mike. Glad we could help and that the entire process was simple! That's what we strive for!


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## SmittyN330 (May 17, 2013)

Largemouths, in my experience, do very little on controlling the bluegill population. Channel cats also are not the best choice. Unless your pond is particularly large/deep, I would leave pike/musky out of the question. A few of them would most likely decimate the bluegill population, but they do not fare well in small, shallow ponds for obvious reasons. I have heard good things about hybrid stripers, but cannot speak from experience regarding them. Something that I have never tried, although have looked into, is saugeye. They generally do not reproduce, fare marginally well in a pond setting, assuming said pond is at least around 15 ft deep, and may keep sunfish/perch populations under control. Good luck with whatever you do.


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## SmittyN330 (May 17, 2013)

Oh wait, you already stocked the pond... Should've read the earlier posts before going into a discourse about pond fish. I think hybrids may very well be a great choice for controlling the bluegill, and of course are a very rewarding catch. Good luck


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## M.Magis (Apr 5, 2004)

It's been a while, and figured I’d give an update. The bass have grown at a somewhat surprising rate. It’s been about a year and a half and here’s one my 6 year old caught last night. This was the fattest one, but they’re all basically the same length. We haven't had much chance to fish this year, so we haven’t caught a striper or channel cat since ice fishing in Feb. They had grown, but at nowhere near the rate that the largemouths seem to be growing. I’ve also seen evidence that the largemouths have spawned, so that’s encouraging. Best of all, the bluegill population is MUCH lower than a year ago. It could be coincidence, but it seems the crappie (which were never stocked) are thriving more so than last year. Rigged my boys with Beetle Spins last night and they caught at least 10 in about ½ hour, where before they were a relatively rare catch. Now that things seem stabilized, it may be time to add more stripers.


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## M.Magis (Apr 5, 2004)

Edit: Double post. This new format is quite irritating.


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