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just some questions, i thought of, i have a large pond upstate NY in the town where rjcmbean grew up, but anyway about 2 years ago i remember walking round the pond and seeing a bluegill/crappii (not know which type) but it was gaurding a little area near the edge, are these fish parental to their young, was it gaurding the nest? if so this is good news that these fish are breeding up there, seeing how the orignal fish were stocked 20 years ago, unfort. since no members of my family live up their anymore people just go onto my land and take fish out of the ponds and over the last 2 years, the numbers are decreasing, either i can't fish anymore or the fish are dying off, or beening taken, either by natures animals or people, but i may restock the pond soon again, will their be any major problems with the bass and what ever people let go in their with the new fish?

I don't really understand what you're trying to say, but if you're going to keep bass (true bass, not suns), you'll need a HUGE pond, as they are very aggressive towards conspecifics and highly predatory towards other fish, especially smaller lepomiformes.

ellenville isn't upstate by any stretch

I'd contact the local ENCON office for troop F to see what you can stock in there

basicaly i was asking would adding new ones upset the blance in there already,(if anything is still alive up there) and how big bass eat small babys?

Most fish will eat a smaller fish if they can swallow it, so the babies that can't hide are dinner.

I'm sure it'll upset the balance somewhat. Dumping a whole bunch of fish in a new spot will undoubtedly result in some casualties and a rapid change in the microenvironment, but that's the beauty of nature. It'll adapt. You just have to be reasonable with the species, size and number of fish you put in a given spot. Use common sense. Don't order a thousand fish for a 10' x 10' pond.

Anything that holds water year round, doesn't freeze solid, and is more than an acre in size can be self-sustainable. Survey it to find structure, if there is none, add some appropriate to the fish - christmas trees (no tinsel or spray on crap) or small pines, piles of rock rubble, large tree trunk logs, etc. Make sure there are some prime bedding areas for breeding season. And if you really want to build it up fast, start feeding 'em.

If you decide to go with adding fish, then contact your state fisheries department. They'll put you in touch with someone who has a clue, and will survey your pond, ask your intents, and form a plan of action.

As a person who grew up fishing in the country, blue gill and bass make great pond companions. It does not take a huge pond either.

Over time most ponds accumulate silt, and lose their depth. That may be the reason you are catching less fish, there may be less water than in the past. My cousins had a pond that 25 yrs ago was @ 20 feet deep. Now it is about 6 feet deep, and the fishing is not as good.

Sure bass prey on blugill, but blugill prey on baby bass also.

Bluegill and bass are very cichlid like. They do nest and protect the eggs. They will strike a fishing lure if they perceive it as a threat(especially bass). They act very similar to cichlids.

"As a person who grew up fishing in the country, blue gill and bass make great pond companions. It does not take a huge pond either."

I dunno. Even baby micropterus will fight to the death in small tanks. Then take into consideration that the smallest member of the genus reaches 24" and are robust, incredibly territorial and aggressive as adults; it all adds up to a large pond at the very minimum. I tried keeping two SMBs at only 7" in the koi pond, and one turned up dead, severly bitten, fins torn, etc in less than a week. I dispatched of the remaining fish into the local fishing lake (don't worry, it's populated with only introduced species, as it's a man made recreational lake).

I am not speaking of ornamental ponds, more functioning farm or wilderness ponds. I have fished in many many ponds, and bluegill and bass are mainstays of that environment.

Ah. Big difference. I thought you were referring to those dinky backyard pools.

by all means this is not a koi pond. i think it doesn't freeze completly, maybe just the top.

it is like 5-6 ponds connected that follow into a "main" and than when that water is to high it flows into a really deep one that i have not really explored.

i been around the "main" for many years, and their are some grassy areas(i guess breeding grounds) and rocky areas, but where i fish from i think it is really just planty.

at one point many years ago, when my grandfather lived up their and my dad was young growing up, it was well stocked with fishes, the other side ponds have trouts , but since no up keep was done, wild animals got them, and in the main pond thier were bass/ bluegill(types) and maybe 5 catfish(just guessing on numbers), now it is really only a few bass.

there is plently of stuff for them to eat, being bugs and frogs etc. and i guess that since their are many areas where they can go wiether beeing in any pond that it should be ok at one point.

would it be better to let them go in one spot, or let maybe a few here and a few there.

they will probably be babies. very small.