Stocking a pond

[hillrunner]

I am currently draining an old pond to have it dug out and made suitable for fish. I have a few questions about stocking it.
*Is it ok to stock as soon as it is full or must I wait for vegetation to regrow next year?
* is there someplace I can go to both buy the fish and get advice on how to stock it properly?
* what kind of structure do I need in the bottom to keep some of the bait fish safe?
I appreciate any help on this and also welcome any other advice .

 

[jeezticals]

Here is where I go for pond info. Seems to work well for me. You should be able to stock as soon as it fills or even if you get it half filled. As for cover I use cedar trees and also put in put some larger branched trees for bigger fish to hide in. One thing that has been emphasized to me about stocking is wait at least 6 months to put in largemouth as they will grow faster and eat anything that crosses their path.


http://www.iowadnr.gov/Fishing/AboutFishinginIowa/IowaFarmPonds/FishGrowthPondBalance.aspx

 

[sethgade280]

Hillrunner,

As long as there is enough depth to the pond, it will be suitable to keep a fishery. Shallow ponds can result in a winter fish kill due to the dissolved oxygen depleation. Vegetation although nice to have is not needed for fish to live. Vegetation can save alot of your forage fish from predation as well as the otters etc that can easily slip in the pond during the winter.

As far as structure goes, oak pallets tied together and sunk with cinder blocks works very well. Cedar trees sunk work great too. Basically anything will work to give the smaller fish a place to hide and the bigger ones a place to hang around.

Stocking minnows this fall and stocking the game fish next spring is recommended. This way the minnows have a chance to reproduce before getting preyed on. Largemouth bass and bluegills work great together. They tend to keep their numbers in check. Others like perch, walleye, and crappie need a large forage base of minnows. Stocking minnows annually is strongly recommended.
Rates
25-50 bass per acre aerated
250-500 bluegill per acre aerated
100 lbs of minnows per arce aerated

Hopefully this helps. I am a fisheries biologist for a pond management company out of Wisconsin. If you have any other questions regarding the pond, pm me and we can discuss this in more detail. thanks seth

 

[PointBlank]

If you are draining the pond out dry or willing to use chemical to kill whatever is left off, you should qualify for the DNR to be able to stock your pond for a very minimal cost. I think their main requirements is the pond to be considered "dead" meaning no existing fish, at least a 1/2 acre in size, and one hole at least 8 ft deep. We just finished a pump, dig, and chemical kill off and now waiting on fish. They are starting our stock this fall and putting in BG, then adding channel cats and LB next year. Also, the old myth that you then need to allow public access is false, there is no such obligation. Contact your local DNR fishery biologist.