Man Made Pond

[DiverDux]

This is how we do it here in NE Ohio...

First thing in the spring, right after ice out. Load the pond with fathead minnows. Fifty pounds per surface acre. Then force an algae bloom to provide food for the minnows. (Sprinkle soybean meal all around the edges of your pond. Then add a small amount of nitrogen over the soybean meal.) Your minnows will do well in this environment and should spawn twice before July. In mid July, stock fingerling bass at a rate of 150 per surface acre. In October stock matched pairs of mature bluegills at a rate of 100 pairs per surface acre.

You now have your lake set-up to grow large bass and bluegills.

This is how it works. You can expect maximum growth and production because competition between the different fish species is managed. The fathead minnows have the pond to themselves for 3-4 months. They can feed and reproduce with no competition from any other fish, this equates to large minnows and maximum reproduction.

When the fingerling bass are introduced in mid July, they have all of those fathead minnows to feed on and with no competition from other fish they will grow extremely fast. It is not uncommon to have 8-10 inch LMB by spring.

The bluegills that are stocked in matched pairs in October are initially stocked for the sole purpose of providing forage for the growing LMB. The bluegills are too large for the 8-10 inch LMB to eat, but by fall of the second year, the young of the year bluegills will provide the LMB with food to match the forage needs of the growing bass.

By following this process, one can expect 13-15 inch LMB and hand sized bluegills by the second spring (third year.)

Evryone I deal with here in NE Ohio who follows this formula is amazed at the quality of the fish their ponds produce. This will work if you follow these directions.

The keys here are the even age class of bass and plenty of forage. Do not put any adult bass, crappie, catfish etc. into your pond. They will eat your fingerling LMB. This process will not work if adult size predators are introduced before the third spring (fourth year.)

Good luck!