What's the best yield fish to stock a 1/2 acre pond with? Other than Talapia.

[Just Duke]

What's the best yield fish to stock a 1/2 acre pond with? Other than Talapia.
TIA,
Duke

[John Allen]

Duke, depending on the temp at the bottom of the pond you could try some trout but they like cold water.

[Just Duke]

Duke, depending on the temp at the bottom of the pond you could try some trout but they like cold water.

This would be in the warmer southern states and thanks for your reply.

[carbine86]

Pumpkin seed panfish and smallmouth bass two beautiful fish

[jonp]

I'd say Catfish. Trout take too long to grow and you must have well aerated cold water where the catfish will live in about any temp water within reason.

What do you mean by yield? Are you farming them for food?

[John Allen]

We have a 1/2 acre pond on our property. Sunfish and small mouth are great for warm waters. Our pond is loaded with them. The other thing is Catfish. We also have a ton of frogs on the pond.

[DIRT Farmer]

I raise bluegill because they are my favorite to eat. Just add enough bass to keep the population down, feed them and be prepared to war out your fly rod. If kids are a part of the plan, pole, cork and hook with worm will keep them entertained for hours, at least it does my grandkids.

[Blammer]

Brim, bluegills, panfish, and catfish would be my suggestions.

We have a 1/2 acre pond we have access too and there are always bluegill for catching and eating, and big fun too!

[Just Duke]

Where would one get fish or eggs for stocking a pond?

[John Allen]

We have a couple of pond suppliers within a two hours ride from us. I am sure if you look you will find someone. you should try and find a commercial fish supplier or bait supplier they usually have them.

[starmac]

I would do a little research on bluegill, I believe they have a hybrid that gets pretty big. You need to weigh the hybrid against hardiness and how well they multiply.

A guy may need to study it some , because he might want to get his bluegill, brim, or whatever started before stocking catfish. It will largely depend on what is available from fish suppliers in the area, they will likely be stocking what is best for the area.

[waksupi]

Bass, crappie, and catfish make a nice mix.

[Just Duke]

What would someone feed them. Fish Chow?

[Just Duke]

I have seen deer feeders set up to feed fish on ponds.

[waksupi]

If it's a new pond, you want to let it set for a couple years after it is filled, to grow it's own ecosystem. Some weeds growing up, bugs, frogs, crawdads. That gives the new fry shelter in the weeds, and feed from the smaller organisms. When we built ponds on our farms, it was usually about three years before we stocked.
Some states, the state hatchery will sell you some fish cheap, or give them to you. If they give them to you, the water has to be open to the public to fish in. Most don't know that, so after a year or two, you don't even need to consider that. After we stocked our first one, we used a seine net, and did bucket biology on the rest.
After stocked with fry, you are still several years down to road to have a fishable population, size wise.
We also planted willows along the dams, to strengthen them. No need to do anything fancy, find a few willows growing somewhere, and bury in the ground HORIZONTALLY to grow at about water level.

[MT Gianni]

The pond should have an inlet and aquatic insects in a perfect world. You want a fish that eats those, bluegill; and an end predator. The catfish is one of the best predators out there.

[starmac]

Feeding them all depends on what you are trying to do. There is commercial feed to raise them on, if one is basically running a commercial fish feedlot, 9if everything is right and you are just raising them for yourself, you really shouldn't have to feed them.

[AlaskanGuy]

I say forget the warm water fish, and start some yummy bullfrogs in there.....they are yummy, and you can have a blast with a pellet gun.... Your kids will love going hunting for them.... And they feed themselves.....once they get established, then get you some catfish....

[starmac]

Wow, A salmon fisherman that knows about bullfrogs. Where did that come from? 22 shorts work too, if you don't have a pellet gun. lol

[Bad Water Bill]

Put in lots of local minnows at least 2 years ahead of the planned supper food.

It takes about FIVE years to grow eating frog legs and in the mean time they NEVER stop eating everything else that swims in THEIR pond.