Time for Spring Stocking

[dinosaur]

It's just about time to place a fish order with the fish hatchery. I already have a good population of Largemouth Bass, Bluegill, Green Sunfish, Warmouth, and Channel Catfish in my pond, not to mention Carp. I'm thinking of introducing Crappie.

It's a cool water fish but I have depths down to 35 feet so they should do well and the predatory nature of the Bass and Catfish should control the population. Crappie are fun to catch and great table fare. Of course, I'll have to add about ten pounds of Fathead Minnows to the stocking at the same time to increase the immediate forage base since the Crappie will be 6 to 8 inches when stocked.

Anyone have any thoughts on this?

 

[Cappy]

Hope ya pond has stumps, pylons. brush etc. Crappie like cover. The only thing I like better than catching crappie is eatin crappie:tinysmile_fatgrin_t

sac au lait fishin - YouTube

 

[dinosaur]

Nice catch, Cappy. And, yes my pond has plenty of structure for them.

 

[ppine]

I believe that crappie are a warm-water fish. You have many species in a small space, and it would be useful to consult a fisheries biologist to learn more about the intra-species interactions.

 

[briansnat]

I'm not a fan of crappy. They don't put up much of a fight at all, catching one is like reeling in a wet rag. They also tend to haunt the same sorts of spots as bass and bluegill so there might be some competition there.

What about hybrid stripers? They are a pelagic fish and won't compete as much with the bass and bluegill. They are also good eating, grow pretty big and put up a great fight.

 

[dinosaur]

Actually, Crappie are considered a "cool water" fish. They breed best in cold water and they like it deep. They come up and hit almost anything in the warm waters. They are fast and voracious and delicious.

 

[CampfireCowboy]

Yum yum Crappie!

 

[dinosaur]

I ordered the Crappie two days ago a;ong with the fatheads and a hundred more channel cats. They'll be delivered sometime next month.

 

[charley]

Sounds like a nice pond.

 

[Pathfinder1]

Hi...


What is your exact location...??

 

[Marshmallow]

I envy you that you have your own pond to stock. We take so many things for granted. I see a pond and immediately think there are fish in it. I don't often remember that someone usually stocks it if it has good fish in it.

 

[dinosaur]

Well, the pond isn't natural. I dug it and have been working on bettering it for fourteen years. It's just about perfect. It has the right depths, structiures, breeding tubes for the catfish, weedbanks for the frye and for water clarity. The water is sweet and so are the fish. I have only one more project in mind; a water circulation system (solar powered)that will create a twenty four hour a day moving water area at an inlet channel. I'm going to coat the bottom of the channel with river rock and see if I can get trout to spawn in the pond. They have to have moving water. Some rainbows and brookies might be a lot of fun for me and my fly rod.

 

[Marshmallow]

Lots of people have aquariums, but you take the prize, dinosaur. You must be really proud of what you've accomplished. Not many people would take on that big a challenge. I wish we could see it. It would be great to bring a pole or two.

 

[dinosaur]

I don't know about "proud". But I'm pretty happy with it.

The fish are in. I had a problem with the albino cats. Lost 39 of them in the first week. Called the folks at Jones Fish Hatcheries and they're going to bring me another hundred free of charge. I love it when folks stand behind their product.

Had a backhoe delivered this morning. Need to fix some silting problems and add a bay in one of the channels. Should have everything done just in time for the bluegill to bed. Yummy fish fry.

 

[Reed]

I see you're hardcore about your fish. That's a good thing because I doubt you'll go hungry any time soon. I do the gardening thing myself but, in a way, we both grow our own food.