Pond Boss Forums STOCKING A NEW POND Types of fish to choose Native Bluegill with Coppernose

Has anyone had any experience stocking coppernose bluegill with native bluegill? I have finished renovating my pond and have not stocked it yet. Is there any down side to mixing the two in the same pond? Such as undesireable offspring, smaller fish etc...

Waymon, I originally stocked about 75% bluegill and 25% coppernose. A couple of years later, I never catch a coppernose. I assume they didn't make it or crossbred. I also have never caught any of the shellcrackers I stocked. Why? Beats me. I remember a comment by a State Biologist on the Mississippi Fishing Website saying that a Texas study indicated that Coppernose don't outgrow native bluegill. If so, why did I pay more for them? Why mess with them?

Dave, Thanks for your reply! I have searched the pond boss site on the subject as well as the net and what few articles there are on the subject state that coppernose bluegill do not get any bigger than native bluegill in the same environment. So all the fuss about the coppernose being so great must be marketing strategy for those who sell them. Iam leaning toward stocking natives unless I find credible info that changes my mind.

Waymon, I chose to go mostly with native Bluegill because I had read somewhere that Coppernose didn't always "make it" for some unknown reason. I think I added some of them just in case the hype about larger growth was real.

Guys,
My favorite fish of all is coppernose bluegill. I have stocked them with native bluegill, with redear sunfish, and as a stand alone fish. Here's what I have learned.
Coppernose bluegill like a moderate climate. They don't like cold weather, nor do they thrive in excessive heat.
They can be harder to handle than native strains of bluegill.
Draw a line east and west through Oklahoma City, through Little Rock, Nashville. South of there, coppernose have worked exceptionally well.
North of that line, stock at your own risk.
I have seen coppernose bluegill larger than 1 1/2 pounds regularly in ponds that meet certain criteria.
Ponds where fish are fed, where large bass live, and management is above average, expect to see larger coppernose bluegill.
In ponds with little or no management (no feeding, no culling of bass, no fertilization), native strains of bluegill may be a better choice.
In the south, coppernose bluegill are definitely my first choice to accomplish two things. Growing huge sunfish, and long term food supplies for largemouth bass.

One other point on the coppernose that seems to be touted by many is that they grow faster than the native. So in an unmanaged pond they may not get as large, but they should be at their maximum size faster.

I am very pleased with my stocking of coppernose into my fish pond.

Its been a few months, so what route did you take?