Thread: Illinois Pond Management

Since you're starting w/a new pond, make fatheads the first thing you put in and wait a minimum of a year before adding predators. Adding them to an existing pond is just a waste IMO. They're only a snack to the predators already in there. They and red ears and hybrid bluegill were the first fish to go in my new pond. Fatheads in a new pond reproduce like crazy--you won't believe it. They breed on the undersides of things, so provide that for them. I used 15 pallets on my one acre pond, and by its second year their numbers were staggering. They don't last forever tho', and you'll need something else for your predators later on. I went with golden shiners since my redear and hybrids don't reproduce much. I found the shiners and perch from Rex Rains of R and S Ranch out of St Louis--super nice guy and outstanding adult/breeding fish.