What goes into a pond first?
A pond that grows bass starts with something for the bass to eat. That is the forage base, and on this farm it is Northern bluegill, sold from $135. Bluegill are the sunfish most pond owners put in first, and the farm raises them alongside the minnows it is known for.
Permits required: the farm lists a permit to receive bluegill in Arizona, Connecticut, Florida, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, South Dakota and Wyoming. If your pond sits in one of those states, ask the permit questions before you order: the farm's local line is 501-676-2716.
Minnows work as forage too. Fathead minnows and golden shiners are the same fish the farm ships by the box from its ponds in Lonoke, Arkansas, and many pond owners stock them as a quick food source for the predators that follow. Any other question about an order goes to the farm's main number, 1-800-20-MINNO (1-800-206-4666).
Which bass, and when do they go in?
The farm lists two largemouth bass, both from $179: the F1 Hybrid and the Northern. They are two strains of the same predator, so the choice comes down to the pond and what you want from it.
Predators go in after the forage has had time to establish. A bass has to find enough to eat on day one, or it starts working over the fish you stocked for it. That order, forage first and bass second, is the plain logic behind most pond plans.
Juvenile bass travel in a box of water like any live fish, so the first hours matter. Float the bag so the temperature can match the pond before you release, and open it near shade. These are basic fish-handling habits, not special instructions from the farm.
Where do grass carp and trout come from?
Two fish on the list do not come out of the Lonoke ponds. Triploid Grass Carp, 9 to 11 inches, from $199.95, and rainbow trout juveniles, from $179.95, come through Newalla Fish Company. They appear on the farm's store next to its own fish, but Newalla is the source, so plan for that when you order.
The farm's listing puts it plainly: GRASS CARP SHIP ON MONDAY. That is a hard ship day, so an order has to be planned around it. Triploid carp are the weed-control fish: they are raised sterile, which is why people choose them to work on aquatic weeds in a pond without filling it with carp.
Rainbow trout juveniles suit cool, well-oxygenated water, which is a narrower set of ponds than bass and bluegill need. If you are stocking trout, check your pond temperature through the summer before you commit to them.
