Pond Boss Forums STOCKING A NEW POND Types of fish to choose Were to get my bass ???

I'm located in North Central WV. I'm wondering where would be a good place to get some F1 bass, just looking for something other than Northern's. Pond is just shy of 3/4 acre, stocked last April with 650 bg 2-3 inch ,75 res,15#fhm and 30 bg 5-7 inch. I have been feeding optimal since fish were stocked .

Are you at altitude in W V ? If so you have a colder climate and northern LMB may give better results.

Thanks for the reply. The area where I reside is at an altitude of 1,025 ft.

Do you get W V mountain winters ? If so the most I would try is a small % of your LMB as F-1s. I would also try and source them from a more northern hatchery (northern adaptation).

Stocking bass is not always so easy. A lot of factories if they do have them have babies, and if they are bigger say 8 plus inches can get pretty expensive. If anyone decides to bucket stock from another pond or lake here is what I would do. Even though I don't like this method I have to admit I am guilty of doing this myself with my pond.

However I followed some strict rules.

1. I only kept smaller bass to transplant as they seem to be able to acclimate themselves better to their new pond 12 inches or smaller. And I didn't want a few big ole bass in my pond eating everything right away so I stayed away from that. Not to mention bigger bass don't like to be transplanted very well and most die.

2. I dipped all my bass in salt water to clean them of any possible parasites and what not.

3. I only put in a minimum amount. I think I put in 14 if I remember right. Why you may ask. Well before you know those bass are making beds and you have more bass then you know what to do with...lol I did a lot of this back in 2011-2012 and I now have last caught here is one almost 5 pounds.

Keep in mind I am NOT saying this is the way to go but some have no choice when it comes to the LMB. If you can get them from a farm I would do that.

RC

Like your shirt RC51. That was a great game for us.

Nice.

I would like to thank everyone for responding to my post, and I appreciate the feedback.

One other thought,
IF you are going to stock from another close lake, only stock the best of the best. These fish will have the best chance of growing to their potential. Be very picky. Those genes will be there for a long time. Tag those fish and keep records. If you use a hatchery, do the same thing. Be picky, keep records and tag them if you can.

Two cents complete.

I decided to get my fish from a hatchery. I've came across a company southeastern pond management in Jackson,TN. They said that they have F1 available and can ship to me in June. I am wondering if anyone has any personal experience with this company, genetics, fish quality, etc.?

SEP is a good company.

http://sepond.com/

CRF,

It is hard to tell from your posts where you might be. I have a little bit of background in fisheries management and pond management here in WV.

Unless you are in a pretty special place, I doubt you would have much success with growing large F1 in most places of the state. They could do well if you are planning on using them as forage for other fish.

Northern Strain will do reasonably well. However, if you want some great bass action here in WV, try some Hybrid Striped Bass (HSB). They grow exceptionally well in most of WV. Few fish are more fun to catch. They make incredible table fare. Mine typically grow from about 10-12 inches when stocked this time of year, to 16-18 inches by fall. By early next spring, with feeding and forage, they should be in the 22-24 inch range, or bigger.

We have a few suppliers here in WV. Depending on where you are located, I may be able to provide some local and reliable out of state suppliers. You may have to pick them up from out of state suppliers, over our state boundaries. In that case, you will need to obtain a state import permit from the WVDNR. There is no cost. The concern is making sure that the imported fish are pure and disease free. HSB are on the approved WV Import list, but you still need a permit to legally bring them into WV.

Give us a little more information.

Regards,
Ken
Hampshire County, WV

I'm located about 45 mins south of Morgantown WV.

You are very near one of WV's very best and biggest suppliers. Give my good friend Mike Nardella a call at Rainbow Head Farms at 304-783-5025. Mike is just off I-79 in the Clarksburg-Bridgeport area. If Mike doesn't have what you need he will lead you in the right direction. He won't sell you something that won't work in your situation. He and I served together for many as WV Aquaculture officers. Tell him Ken from Pond Boss referred you. I'm on the other side of WV near Winchester, VA.

Regards,
Ken

Thanks again for the input . Rainbow Head Farms is where I got my fhm ,bg from Mike Nardella is a super nice guy to talk to and very helpful just was looking for something other than northern lmb . When I talk to Mike, I will tell him u said hey.

I can plus one on the HSB. Hardest fighting fish per pound I have ever caught freshwater wise! They grow relatively quick and like CAT said taste much better than LMB as far as eating. It's hard to explain I love LMB to catch but HSB pound for pound fight soooooo much harder... It's unreal.


RC

I'm glad to hear that my friend Mike didn't try to sell you F1 bass, or other fish that won't grow in our area. Mike is honest and knowledgeable. He could make a lot more money selling what others are selling to unsuspecting pond owners.

There are some people selling F1 bass and copper-nose bluegill in WV, Western Maryland, and Northern VA. These are just some of the types of fish being sold that will not do well in our great skiing and snowmobiling areas.

These are the dealers are selling hybrid crappie that they claim will not reproduce in ponds, and that are great for ponds (not true). They will gladly sell you ...

Ask questions here before buying. There are many good and honest pond suppliers.

If you ask about a fish vendor, you may not get a public answer.

Nobody wishes, nor dares, to publicly slander anyone. No one wants to go to to court over a non-endorsement. If you should ask such a question, check your private messages and e-mail. Weigh what is sent to you.

Caveat Emptor,
Ken