Cage Culture Experiment with HSB - 03/03/05 04:05 PM
Bill and Others:
I would like to experiment with my first cage culture. The cage I will be building will measure approx 8'L x4'W x 4'H totalling some 128 cubic feet and be secured by my dock in a 19 acre gravel pit lake. The fish of choose will be Hybrid Stripped Bass (HSB)this time bought as fingerling in the 2-3" range this spring when available...hopefully in May, grown thru out the summer and released into the established lake in the fall with LMB/BG/YP/and pumpkinseed at some 6-8" in length. My goal is to purchase 500 of these HSB and put into the cage. The stocking density will be approx. 3.9 fish per cu/ft...or approx. half the "crowded high density" of 8/12 fish cu/ft. My first question is do HSB require high densities for stocking in a confined area or not? Is 3.9 fish per cu/ft to low.., promoting cannibalism, etc? Second, what brand and type of food and protein content will work best for this intensive seasonal growout with daily hand feedings of HSB? Thirdly, Bill can you explain how you overwintered your HSB in our cold climate and thick ice...did you feed at all...did you sink your cage below the ice or use an aeration system to move water around to help keep the water open thru out the winter and super chilling that same water? Thanks for now....and looking forward to the knowledge of others who have succeeded in their past cage cultures.
Rowly
I would like to experiment with my first cage culture. The cage I will be building will measure approx 8'L x4'W x 4'H totalling some 128 cubic feet and be secured by my dock in a 19 acre gravel pit lake. The fish of choose will be Hybrid Stripped Bass (HSB)this time bought as fingerling in the 2-3" range this spring when available...hopefully in May, grown thru out the summer and released into the established lake in the fall with LMB/BG/YP/and pumpkinseed at some 6-8" in length. My goal is to purchase 500 of these HSB and put into the cage. The stocking density will be approx. 3.9 fish per cu/ft...or approx. half the "crowded high density" of 8/12 fish cu/ft. My first question is do HSB require high densities for stocking in a confined area or not? Is 3.9 fish per cu/ft to low.., promoting cannibalism, etc? Second, what brand and type of food and protein content will work best for this intensive seasonal growout with daily hand feedings of HSB? Thirdly, Bill can you explain how you overwintered your HSB in our cold climate and thick ice...did you feed at all...did you sink your cage below the ice or use an aeration system to move water around to help keep the water open thru out the winter and super chilling that same water? Thanks for now....and looking forward to the knowledge of others who have succeeded in their past cage cultures.
Rowly