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How To Build a Farm Pond
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Stocking
Bass and Bream
A healthy pond has a balance between predator and prey populations. In ponds of at least one acre, largemouth bass and bluegill provide this balance better than any other species. You can add a few other species, specifically redear sunfish (shellcracker or chinquapin), channel catfish, triploid, grass carp, and fathead minnows, to provide a variety of fishing opportunities. These species, when stocked at recommended rates and managed properly, can provide years of good fishing.
You can stock channel catfish with bass and bream or alone, but do not stock other species of catfish in ponds. Crappie are never recommended for small lakes and ponds less than 50 acres because they tend to overpopulate, resulting in a pond full of small, skinny crappie, bream, and bass. Crappie compete with bass for food, and should not be stocked into lakes less than 500 acres if trophy bass fishing is the desired objective. If you wish to stock crappie in lakes larger than 50 acres, consult a fisheries biologist for recommendations. If you have a pond with crappie already established, Pond Renovation), or to manage the pond for crappie. For more information on managing for crappie, see the section on Crappie Management.
Largemouth bass are predatory and eat a variety of foods. Their diet includes small fish, frogs, crawfish, and insects. Largemouth bass are well adapted to ponds and reproduce successfully, usually spawning only once a year. They grow rapidly in ponds where food is plentiful, generally reaching sexual maturity and spawning at one year of age. In the spring, when water temperatures reach 60°F, mature males fan out depressions or “nests” on the pond bottom. Females lay their eggs in the nest. The male fertilizes the eggs, and they usually hatch within four days.
The two strains of largemouth bass commonly stocked in ponds and lakes are the northern largemouth bass (native to all parts of Mississippi) and the Florida largemouth bass (not native). Crosses between these two, called hybrids, are also available. Although some research has been conducted to determine which, if any, of these largemouth bass strains or hybrids are best for stocking farm ponds and small lakes, no conclusive answer has been found. A few observations, based partly on science and partly on field experience, are described below to help you decide which largemouth bass strain to stock. Your ultimate success in managing your bass depends more on the quality of your management program (including bass harvest strategy) than on strain selection.
- Northern, Florida, and hybrid largemouth bass have all been used with success in Mississippi. The Florida strain and hybrid have the greatest genetic potential to attain trophy size. Evidence exists that the Florida strain is, on average, harder to catch than northern or hybrid bass.
- Many hatcheries no longer maintain pure Florida strains, but rather hybrids with varying percentages of mixed northern/Florida genes.
- It is not known at this time whether all hybrids are equivalent in growth and catchability. For example, a hybrid that is 50 percent Florida and 50 percent northern MAY perform differently from a hybrid that is 25:75.
- F1 hybrid bass are first generation hybrids (50:50) and may experience enhanced growth. The offspring, though, are likely to experience reduced growth as compared to their parents and possibly lower than the pure strains.
- The strains usually have no cost difference.
Bluegill (commonly called bream) and redear sunfish (shellcracker, chinquapin) are also well adapted to ponds and eat a variety of foods. When small, they eat microscopic plants and animals. As they grow, their diet changes to include insects, snails, crawfish, and small fish. If enough food is available, these fish grow rapidly, reaching sexual maturity at one year. When water temperatures reach 70 to 75°F in the spring, redear sunfish begin spawning, followed by bluegill, when temperatures reach 80°F. Bluegill may spawn several times in one season, while redear sunfish normally spawn only once or twice. Bream spawn in groups, and their collections of nests are called spawning “beds.”
The two strains of bluegill commonly stocked in Mississippi are native bluegill and a Florida strain called coppernose bluegill. Biologically, the two are very similar, as are general growth rates and other characteristics. Opinions vary regarding the pros and cons of stocking coppernose instead of native bluegill, and many questions have yet to be answered. Both are readily available from hatcheries in Mississippi. Ultimate performance of the bluegill, regardless of strain, depends more on the quality of your management program than on strain stocked.
Size of the pond has a direct influence on future fishing potential, but limitations are very few if you have reasonable expectations. A farm pond stocked with bream and bass should be at least one acre in size, preferably larger. Although small ponds can normally provide unlimited bream fishing, there is a potential for over harvesting the bass in ponds less than one acre. See Small Pond Recommendations for information on managing ponds less than one acre.