I thought small bass would be more likely to compete with the crappie vs. feeding on them. My logic was less small bass=more large bass=less small crappie. What am I missing? Will the small bass feed on the crappie?
Thanks,
Sam
Crappie usually spawn earlier than bass or bluegill, and they get to where they can eat their younger cousins before the cousins can really compete. It is the crappie feeding on the young bass and bluegill that cause the pond balancing problems.
With that in mind, I do have a small pond (0.7 acres) that includes crappie, bluegill, red-eared sunfish, large mouth bass, channel catfish, white catfish, hybrid stiped bass, winter trout(rainbow and golden), one very colorful and friendly old koi, and two very senior grass carp.
When the pond became mine six years ago, it was dominated with monster channel catfish, mud, and algae.
My goal was lots of big bluegill, which I have. I also have a great crop of put-and-take catfish. We always have lots of fun pulling out the winter trout before Memorial day. By accident, this all works.
Someday, I expect I will have a catostrophic pond failure. I'll start over. If it all fails, we can look back at hundreds of great meals provided by the grandkids and their friends. We'll have had lots of parties with the neighborhood kids and adults. We have regular parties with four generations of human families. The fish will have had it far better than living somewhere else.
