Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Evaluating and adjusting fish populations Big Golden Shiners

Howdy, Dwimr.

Golden Shiners are usually preferred by LMB as forage - no hard spines. In most ponds with bass and BG, the GSH tend to go down in numbers because the bass like to eat them and the BG outreproduce them.

It sounds like you have an atypical situation, with two predators, plentiful Shiners, and no bream. Do you know how old the pond is? (I'm wondering if it is fairly new.)

We would normally advise stocking BG (and RES), since BG are usually the only forage that can spawn enough to keep up with the voracity of LMB. That may still be the case with your pond - or something unusual could be going on that are keeping predator numbers down (LMB vs Crappie???).

Please keep track of the fish you angle and observe in the pond and let us know what else becomes apparent. It sounds like an interesting case.