Stock my dugout Brook or Rainbows?

[Luckwell]

Hey guys. I'm not much of a fisherman, and certainly not a trout fisherman. But I will be building a dugout this fall that will be full next spring. There in lies my two questions for you educated folk.

1- once I get the dugout approved for trout in the fall I will be ready to stock the following spring. Do I have to wait a year or two for the health of the trout before I stock? Or just make sure their isn't too much suspended sediment before I put them in?

2- Brooks vs Rainbows. What the pros and cons. Which species is more hardy? Which species grows quickest? Which species lives the longest? I know Brooks cost more.

Thanks for helping out guys!

Luckwell


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[McLeod]

A few of both would be nice. Hard to get Brookies though

[Kurt505]

Mix it up. A friend of mine did and it worked out great. Those Brookies turn into footballs!

[Bushrat]

My friend has a pond. When he applied for all the permit to put the fish in he wanted rainbows and brookies they would only let him put rainbows in, something about the pond being to close to a stream, they didn't want birds like osprey or ducks picking fish/eggs out of the pond and accidently dropping them into a nearby stream. Basically they will tell you what you can stock in your pond.

[Bemoredog]

You'll need to find out some details of your dugout, e.g., temperatures throughout the year, how much water levels swing, the nutrient/mineral content, etc. This would help you determine more conclusively which fish would be most suitable.

Other questions would be do you plan to overwinter the fish, and will you be aerating or not? If it's simply a put and take pond for your own recreation that you will fish out by the fall you may just want to get rainbows for their low cost alone.

I've read that Rainbow trout are generally more tolerant of various water conditions, they can fight quite vigorously depending on the strain and will grow to decent sizes. I'm not a huge fan of their taste. Or at least those I've tasted. Brook trout has a reputation for being one of the tastiest species of trout. They also grow large and fight well and tend to be more voracious than Rainbows.

This link should be helpful for you: http://www.hyonahilltrout.com/faq.htm

It does say that you should wait at least a year before stocking your pond too.

"How soon should a new pond be stocked with trout?

A new pond should not be stocked too soon - at least a year after pond construction - for the initial decomposition of organic matter in a basin may eat up oxygen and produce gases toxic to fish. In addition, several months are required for establishing a natural food chain in a pond, and it is important not to stock before ample feed is available, either naturally or through supplemental feeding. It is a good idea to let the pond settle and to be able to determine the worst pond scenario (low water level, etc.) during the year before stocking. Depending upon pond characteristics, one species of trout may thrive nicely while another may not. "

[Luckwell]

Awesome stuff. Thanks guys. I guess I have another 1.75 years to think of it as the dugout is just going in this fall.


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