Pond Boss Forums FISH & FISHING Fly Fishing & Other Fish Species Tips for catching Walleye.

Nebucks experience mirrors mine - I stocked 3 12-13" fish in 2010 and at least one fish survived and thrived - caught her twice both times around 20" and almost 4# - she was doing very well. I have since stocked WE four times for a total of 200 fish ranging from 6-14" and growth has been very slow. Original 50 stockers are around 14-15" now 4 years later - adding around 2" annually. I think once their gape allows them to target 3-4" BG I'll see some fast growth, but most fish aren't there yet.

On another note of potential interest...late Fall I received a delivery of 10 G fhm to restock in the BG/YP pond I had drained, seined and nuked weeks earlier. I was holding them in cages so I could carefully hand sort small batches at a time and stock the pond. Early evening I was on the dock and the green monster turned on - crazy scene revealed. The swimming motion from the thousands of FHM in the cages had called in the predators. I had big HBCP lined up around the cages trying to figure out a way inside, I surmised. So, I started netting a few FHM and tossing them in front of the fish, hoping to illicit some strikes. The HBCP went wild, and soon a few YP and smaller SMB showed up and got into the action - but the HBCP were by far the most efficient and successful at plucking the FHM - which surprised me. I had minnows swimming everywhere getting hammered on the surface, against the dock floats, against the cages, beneath the dock - lots of fun. I kept tossing in handfuls of minnows, to keep the action going, probably giggling like a schoolboy. Then, in the shadowy margins of the monster light, I was able to catch a glimpse of something big that made a strike, then quickly headed back out away from the green glow. It must have been that original big mama WE - while I didn't see her head, I did get a great shot of her from the pectoral fins on down to the tail as she slowly swam away. First time she had been spotted in 2 years, and I'd guess she'd put on another couple inches and was very rotund - guessing 5# plus. It was a great moment - hope I can tempt her through the ice this Winter, if we ever get hard water again, that is.