Fish stocking?

[LarryO1970]

If you had a pond to stock (muddy bottom, mostly 5' with a max of 15', natural spring, cold water, area of about 2 acres) ... what would you stock?

[Earl Easter]

Hey LarryO1970
How are ya today. i've been reading a lot of your posts and find them very interesting. Thanks for a lot of great information! Yep about that pond...you lucky dog...LOL i would imagine just about anything ya find will make it home. I think i might study up on some of the fish that may eat the others before i would stock, but hey the natural spring, the size. Wow ya can't get any better than that. Maybe i could get an invite to go swimming there.....LOL. as long as ya don't stock them thar critters with teeth.

I've been checking the streams in the last few days around here and they did not seem to stock yet. I'll be looking on the internet for the listings. Last year i believe it was a week prior to the first day as they sound the fire alarm off at 8:00 am. My wife and i have a good spot that very few like to hike into and by 8:15 were done and limit out..Usually take em home and have a great lunch.....You take care of yourself and keep all them thar fellas in line that are under ya, ahh heck you can dish a little out to the superiors,ya have my permission!!!!!!!!!

Talk to ya later.........earl

[LarryO1970]

Originally Posted by Earl Easter

Hey LarryO1970
How are ya today. i've been reading a lot of your posts and find them very interesting. Thanks for a lot of great information! Yep about that pond...you lucky dog...LOL i would imagine just about anything ya find will make it home. I think i might study up on some of the fish that may eat the others before i would stock, but hey the natural spring, the size. Wow ya can't get any better than that. Maybe i could get an invite to go swimming there.....LOL. as long as ya don't stock them thar critters with teeth.

I've been checking the streams in the last few days around here and they did not seem to stock yet. I'll be looking on the internet for the listings. Last year i believe it was a week prior to the first day as they sound the fire alarm off at 8:00 am. My wife and i have a good spot that very few like to hike into and by 8:15 were done and limit out..Usually take em home and have a great lunch.....You take care of yourself and keep all them thar fellas in line that are under ya, ahh heck you can dish a little out to the superiors,ya have my permission!!!!!!!!!

Talk to ya later.........earl

Earl ~

So... walleye and northern pike are out of the question?! lol... ouch.

We were thinking of tadpoles, minnows, panfish (bluegill) and largemouth bass...

... here are a few pictures to give you an idea...

[sell33]

I would say the fish selection sounds decent....

Get some decs out and keep the ducks coming!! that drake woody looks good get him this fall!!

[Earl Easter]

Yep Larry Sir.
Sounds like a great selection to me. I could swim with a bathing suit on ya know, i have one somewhere around here,that way them thar fish won't follow the worm...LOL. just keep the snappers out of there. Beautiful pond there larry,maybe some smallmouth bass?
and a few more daffies. When did the ice melt? i'll guess around four weeks ago?
Sure is nice to see the sun heating things up a bit........

[lefty o]

lg mouth bass, and bluegill would be good choices. as long as the spring keeps it from freezing in the winter.

[LarryO1970]

Originally Posted by Earl Easter

Yep Larry Sir.
Sounds like a great selection to me. I could swim with a bathing suit on ya know, i have one somewhere around here,that way them thar fish won't follow the worm...LOL. just keep the snappers out of there. Beautiful pond there larry,maybe some smallmouth bass?
and a few more daffies. When did the ice melt? i'll guess around four weeks ago?
Sure is nice to see the sun heating things up a bit........

About a month or so sounds right... relating to the ice melt.

There is a large snapper... but we keep tabs on him. Wearing a bathing suit would be prudent... so the invite is out there Earl.

Are smallmouth easier to "deploy" than largemouth? Obviously, we need to create a food chain, thus the tadpoles and minnows... the panfish will eat the bugs and mosquitoes... etc.

The only real threat is otters that occasionally come to the pond to swim... we'll have to keep an eye out for them so they don't fish out the pond... once they realize there is food here, they may set up camp.

[lefty o]

lg mouth are easier to keep, and feed than small mouth.

[LarryO1970]

Originally Posted by lefty o

lg mouth bass, and bluegill would be good choices. as long as the spring keeps it from freezing in the winter.

It freezes like any other body of water in the Wisconsin winters.

[lefty o]

no kidding, but does it freeze solid, or enough to lose oxygen? no point in trying to stock if your going to freeze out yearly.

[LarryO1970]

Originally Posted by lefty o

no kidding, but does it freeze solid, or enough to lose oxygen? no point in trying to stock if your going to freeze out yearly.

Sorry, didn't mean to sound like a smartass... No, doesn't freeze solid and being a natural spring, does not loose it's oxygen. Even frozen, there are sections of the pond that do not freeze... only when it gets to 15 or so below zero.

[lefty o]

okay, then your probably OK.

[LarryO1970]

Originally Posted by lefty o

okay, then your probably OK.

Lefty ... I forgot to mention that there is a current too ... albeit slow, there is a small stream that feeds and exits the pond too ...

[Earl Easter]

Looks like a beaver in picture four. Would they bother any of the fish?.
Thanks for the pixs LarryO1970. And good luck stocking, i'm sure your choices are as credible as you.......earl

[LarryO1970]

Originally Posted by Earl Easter

Looks like a beaver in picture four. Would they bother any of the fish?.
Thanks for the pixs LarryO1970. And good luck stocking, i'm sure your choices are as credible as you.......earl

Picture 4 is a muskrat, I believe... unless shown otherwise. Hell, I don't know to be honest...

If you are ever in the upper Midwest... let me know...

[STITCH]

I saw in one of your pic's that you have otters. Now I know every pond will sometimes have them. But if you are considering stocking your pond you should really look out for them. We have a friend of the family's and he stocked his pond about 5 years ago and due to the otters they have hardly any fish within the pond. I would consider if you stock it, start trappin the otters. Dont want to spend all of yoru time stockin your pond, when the otters are just going to eat all you have.

[Earl Easter]

Laughing with out my glasses on and one eye that doesn't work........OK now i have them on..... he still is a biggin.
Thank You larry that sure is neighborly of ya. You also, if your ever around North Pittsburgh feel free to call and we will set ya up with some home cooked meals and a clean bed for your stay. Take care of yourself and i'll talk to ya later......earl

[LarryO1970]

Originally Posted by STITCH

I saw in one of your pic's that you have otters. Now I know every pond will sometimes have them. But if you are considering stocking your pond you should really look out for them. We have a friend of the family's and he stocked his pond about 5 years ago and due to the otters they have hardly any fish within the pond. I would consider if you stock it, start trappin the otters. Dont want to spend all of yoru time stockin your pond, when the otters are just going to eat all you have.

In the picture... my understand is, that is a muskrat. There are, in fact, otters that visit the pond on occasion and yes, we have to keep an eye on them. If needed, we will trap and relocate them. If not... I think I can find a way to muffle a .22

The pond is ours, not theirs.

[STITCH]

Lol sounds like a good plan to me!

[sell33]

That "thing" in pic 4 looks way too big to be a muskrat, bigger than any i have seen anyway. not sure tho