Pond Boss Forums STOCKING A NEW POND Raising Forage and Bait Golden Shiner Prices

Is $50 a gallon for GSH too much??

I might get some for a few ponds.

And I have read a little on here but not enough to have a full understanding how the GSH spawns. I have read both multiple times a year and ones a summer?

I want to build a cage in some ponds for them to spawn.

Pond one - It has a lot of large bass and the minnows wouldnt last long, so spawn them in a cage so the little ones have a chance to make it in this world. WOuld three feet deep work well enough to keep a gallon if I made it long enough or houw deep should I fence it off and what sort of cover or vegitation will they need to spawn??

Pond two - same thing but with trout- and the gentleman would like to harvest the adults after spawn to use for bait, any extra suggestions.


Any pictures of spawning mats??

We also have a 300 gallon minnow tank inside a garage (not sure how hot it gets in the summer) would they spawn in their and then be able to transplant the eggs??

Thanks guys appritiate it.

Just saw these very issues addressed in another post by Bill Cody. Check this thread. Bill's post is at the end, but there's a lot of good info in the thread.

GSH spawning appears to start when water temps hit 70 and stops when the temps hit around 80+. So, depending on how your water temps fluctuate, you might pull off more than one spawn, but it does appear to be a limited period.

Bill also suggested that welcome mats with artificial grass turf are an ideal spawning habitat for them.

Getting GSH, or any forage species, established in a pond with established predators is likely going to be tricky to accomplish. Typically, those fish will just end up as a quick snack unless you have sufficient cover available that allows them to escape. Even then, though, I suspect you'd have to stock a lot of them before enough were surviving to make an appreciable spawn.

Don't know for sure on the pricing, but the $50/gallon seems high to me.

Well not sure how many GSH you get in a gallon, but the bait guy in town told me he could order me a gallon of FHM for about $75 and that would be 7 pounds.

Of course with this you run the chance of getting BH, GSF, and other unwanted species.

Now I have put some bait shop GSH and FHM in my tank at the house and have been feeding them a combo of GFC and Goldfish food and they have grown like crazy.

I have not seen any signs of spawning yet, but they sure seem healthy.

There had to be pretty hard baits as well since they made a few fishing trips before finally get dumped in the tank for later date.

I mainly put them in the tank to help cycle my filter so I could add Tilapia later, which I have one lonely member in there. Hope to get some more soon.

$50 for a gallon of GSH, depending on the size is a good deal IMO. Check around though...

IMO, GSH would not successfully spawn in a cage environment. Too many things would go wrong.

The best option would be a blocking net and block off an area of your pond, preferably a small out cove. Remove all current fish in there and then add the GSH. It would be best to do this in early spring, so they GSH spawn inside the blocking net and their fry and young can escape through the netting into the main pond.

There has been multiple postings on when, where and at what temps GSH spawn. The link provided by Todd will give you what you need. Just getting GSH to spawn isn't gonna get you a self sustaining population of GSH. There is far more to it... They need habitat conducive to survival, from fry, to YOY to adult. Few small ponds have this. When I say small, I am referring to ponds under 2 acres.

thanks guys apprittiate it.

What sort of vegitaion should I try to plant?

I will post pictures once we start taking action.

$50 is cheap compaired to what I paid. Mine was $72 a gal for 400 to 500 lb, 2"-4" and shipping boxes were $5 each, and I picked mine up. They were only sold in the spring.

"Welcome mats with short turf like 'stems' or a short shag are the type of mats intended for GSH spawning. Spawning starts at around 70F and will end as the water rises into the 80F. Normally one main spawn period per year. Occassionally a later summer spawn occurs if a cold rain lowers the water temps to below 80F and fish have time to develop and lay eggs before good conditions change. Eggs hatch in about 5-4 days at these temps. "


Thanks guys, I havent been able to do the reading till now, and hopefully i get to stock next week

I get them $7 a lb wholesale, small, med or large.

ive gotten tired of paying the high price for minnows. my last stocking cost me $9.00 a pound.
i just killed off a small clay pit with retonone last fall & put some gsh & fhm this spring & from what my better half tells me it looks like theres been a spawn already so it looks like its working.

going to seine most of them out this fall & stock main lake &
leave some in claypit & see how they handle the winter in there hopefully they'll survive & continue the process, at least for my wallets sake.

cant wait to get home in 2 weeks thinking of going bass fishing w/ live minnnows or just fishing period

I would do what John T did if you can and if you use lots of them.

ya jake, but I gotta get my starter minnows from some where. hehe

Gonna get the minnows tommorrow, Friday i mean.
2 gallons at $50, I will stock most of them in forage ponds and hope they take, then im gonna save a 1/4 gallon for bait.
Hope this is the last time I have to buy golden shiners.

I wouldn't just dump them into the pond, I'd put them in another container and slowly sort them into the pond. No telling what other fish are in there.

The last fish that I stocked (a species of sunfish) had FHM and one Bullfrog Tadpole in the mix, along with snails.

Not that the FHM and Tadpole was a big deal, but just saying.........

fishm_n...

Be VERY careful as to what you are getting!!! My guess is at that price someone just pulls a net behind a boat or seines in wild sources, selling whatever is caught and there is no telling what will be in the mix.

$50 for roughly 15-16 pounds of GSH is WAAAY below retail of $9-$13/lb depending on size and is even below small order wholesale in Arkansas.

true, and I will check them.

Thanks guys

If you see any that look different, take photos... I'd be curious what all you end up getting besides GSH...

Its a done deal!!

ALL were GSH.

Put a gallon in one dam, not much vegitation in that one yet.

Half a gallon in another with a lot of vegitation.

Then the third, I put a few in, and I put 92 perch in this spring at 4 inch cause it winter killed a few years ago I was told.
I noticed something deep down in the lake, a GSF about 3 inch. Then I saw a few more, then I saw a crappie about 4". Dont think that one winter killed out. Its above a walleye pond and dont want to contaminate it with too many other fish especially another top preditor Like LMB or NP so, I guess I need to get some more walleye, or just fish the hell out of it.

Not my ponds though, but the guy lets me pretend pondboss. I am very greatfull.

have you noticed any GSH still alive?