Hello everyone,
I am reaching out for some advice on stocking a couple of ponds on my property with fathead minnows and possibly crawfish. I would appreciate any guidance or resources you can share.
I have two ponds:
1. **Pond 1**: This is a newly built pond in my backyard, with a surface area of ½ acre and an average depth of 5 feet, reaching up to 8 feet at its deepest point. It currently holds about 4 feet of water. My goal is for the kids in the family to have fun catching fish and maybe occasionally fry a few. Unless it’s illegal, I plan to stock it with small bream and crappie that I catch locally, even though I know crappie are usually not recommended.
2. **Pond 2**: This pond is ¾ acre in size with an average depth of 3-4 feet and has been around for about 30 years. My granddaddy used to stock it with channel catfish around 25 years ago, and it hasn’t been touched since. Last year, I acquired the property and tried fishing it, catching one 2” longear sunfish and several 3-4” bullheads (or mudcats). Two years ago, I added 50-60 3-4” bream. I’d like to move the bream to Pond 1 and establish minnows and crawfish in this pond for bait and occasional crawfish boils if possible.