View Full Version : stocking a quarry
chris Krikorian
03-21-2001, 11:16 AM
I live in Ontario Canada and I have a quarry around my house that was once used for getting limestone or something. Once day I guess the workers hit a spring and the whole area flooded and turned into a small lake I guess. The machines they were using and some buildings got submerged there. It's around 15 acres big. I've fished their quite a few times and I've caught bass.The biggest being only 1.5lbs. I thought they were largemouth but they must have been smallmouth because it does not look like the usual largemouth habitat. The water is all rocky and very, very little aquatic growth. Anyways would you guys advise me to stock the quarry? I really want to and was wondering how long it would take before I noticed size and reproduction in the fish. I was thinking of putting walleye in the lake as well as catfish. Any suggestions.
Chris
03-21-2001, 01:48 PM
Could somebody please help.
Allmost same thing happened to the father of a friend of mine. The spring was not that bad so no equipment was submerged and the quarry was not abandoned until pumping no longer paid off. Ducks must have brought in the spawn of bullheads, bluegills, carp, and various minnows. We caught some cigar size eyes in a local lake and put them in the quarry. We knew nothing about proper stocking at that time so we were very suprised a few years later when we were catching walleyes of 23 inches plus. The small carp we were catching all along were great smoked.
How deep is your quarry? In shallow areas a layer of added mud and compost would probably promote weed growth. If you can add some mud /compost to coat the hard rock bottom you would probably have a place for lake fly larvae etc. to live and provide an excellant food source. There should also be some breaker run or crushed gravel allready in the quarry to act as reefs. These are only my ideas. For better info you should check with your local college and DNR for info on farm ponds. The U.S. government also has free info. Good Luck; Big Dave
Chris Krikorian
03-21-2001, 06:30 PM
The middle of the quarry is very deep. I'm not exactly sure but I think around 50 feet. Putting a mud bottom in is not possible since the quarry is hard to get to. How much do you think it will cost to stock it with walleye. It's around 15 acres so I probably can't stock it with recommended amount because of the $$$ but I can put in a bit.
sublux
03-21-2001, 07:08 PM
Chris, I would be kinda surprised if you would get much production there,..sound pretty sterile to me. If its fairly newly flooded,..not too many nutrients in the basin to support a lot of life,..I think that may be why you are getting not so big bass there,..its takes a while for things to establish in that situation,...of course,..it depends on the local watershed,..if nutrients flow into it,...but if its VERY clear,with few weeds,..I would guess that it can't support a LOT of fish life..maybe others can chime in,..but I've SCUBA dived in some northern clear lakes,..very stoney,..few weeds,..and very few fish of any size seen,...
Chris, catch some smelt and drop them in the quarry this spring. Later in the year, net some minnows and young-of-the-year 'eyes and drop them in. Wait a few years and see what happens.
Frank from TBay
03-22-2001, 05:01 AM
Check with OMNR before you stock. They have stringent rules about this type of thing. They can also assist you in making a proper species choice. Their biology people are excellant.
Ernie
03-22-2001, 05:13 AM
A friend of the family had a similar opportunity a number of years back. The stock dam on the family farm had a dramatic increase in size. He used a number of sources for information and resources
1. The state Game, Fish, and Parks department provided information and the regulations to follow.
2. He contacted the biology departments of local colleges and universities. They were more than happy to help out, providing they could also have access for studies.
3. The local fishing and hunting buddies provided occasional live fish for stocking.
4. I believe he also contacted local bait shops.
He now has quite a well stocked pond (small lake). He also has allowed the local schools and colleges to restore adjacent lands to habitat. I hope to meet up with him next month to get and update and a tour.