I have two quarter acre ponds on my new farm. They seem to be about 6 feet deep and are spring fed. What would be the best fishery to establish. The traditional large mouth, blue gill, and catfish in ponds of this size does not seem like would produce much fish. Any experiences with hybrid bluegill and white bass?

Hybrids are a blast to catch and won't over run your small ponds. Add some bass and channels along with some fathead minnows for forage. I doubt the white bass would make it. Maybe you could go aquaculture and raise prawns or tilapia, that might be a possibility if you could readily harvest them.

As far north as you are Frogs And salamanders fish would probably freeze out

This is in Orange County.

What fish are in them now? What I would do is get some bluegill and a few bass. 5-1 gills and what ever you do is stay away from crappie. A couple of albino catfish "2" in each pond will help clean up crap. Just remember as those albino grow they will eat your spring spawn quickly.

I have a half dozen of the albinos in a 3 acre pond and last year we caught one that was OVER 48" and he/she was less than 10 years old.......needs to eat alot.

Use IDNR as a resource as they are very good at helping people with ponds.

Finally........ you need to fertilize a pond like a food plot........the fish are eating plant life from the pond. Best thing I do is put lime on the pond!

Bluegill and large mouth, but the bass seem stunted.

check out

http://www.in.gov/dnr/fishwild/files/fishmgt.pdf

http://www.in.gov/dnr/fishwild/3356.htm

Thanks everybody. I think I'm going to add forage fish and maybe some hybrid bluegill. The bass and bluegill are small: 10 in bass and barely hand sized bluegill. I think they need more food choices. We do have a large snapping turtle that needs turned into soup and some large bullfrogs too.