Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations HSB dilemma

I am wanting to put 24 HSB in my 1/4 acer pond. I found two places to get em, one is in Ohio and the other here in IN. They are both about 45 miles from my place. The Ohio place is a regular fish supplier whereas the hoosier is just a farmer who has a friend that raises em to about two lbs and then sells them to restaurants. his buddy convinced him that since he has an old gravel pit to try to raise some in cages and see what he could accomplish. Farmer said they started these fish last yr (don't know what size) and they did'nt do as well as his buddies so he is gonna sell em to local pond owners and forget the profit thing. He feeds em pellets but I don't know what kind or how often. These fish are 4-6"s and he wants $1.50 each. I bought some YP form the Ohio supplier that were 2-4'' and after last yr of 5 times a week feeding got to from 6-7 1/2'' Ohio wants $1.50 for 3-4" and $3.50 for 6-8''. I thought of getting 12 from each and fin trimmin one bunch for comparison after this yr. thing is, if I go to both places I lose the savings of buying from farmer in increased fuel consumption. Fire away

Bob-O,

You must have a very young pond to be putting HSB that small in. I too am considering about 25 HSB in my 3 year old 2.5 acre pond. My LMB are 13"-16" so I must go with 12" stockers to evade predation. The best price that I have seen so far for those are $8 per lb. in Indiana.

There are lots of small fish farms in Indiana that will do you right. The only reason some of those out-of-state fisheries are more expensive is to pay for their "free" delivery. One of the fish farmers told me that nobody in IN. actually breeds HSB. He said that most of them buy from the same place.

Blaine, I only have YP in my pond that were put in last summer and forage. In a pm Cecil agreed that the cold water could have had an effect plus the ones raised in pens could have been stressed by being confined.

I personally think either of the fish will grow to 4-6 lbs without a problem.

However, the 4-6's from the farmer and the 6-8's from the fish supplier are most likely both from last years class of fish from Keo. I would go with the bigger ones if that is the case. I wouldnt worry about the cost difference since your numbers are relatively low and your under $100. The better genetics and care are priceless!

You only get so much (5-6 years IIRC) lifespan with HSB, so not having a year of it in slow growth is kind of significant.

Yes, Bob said the hybrids in the pit grew a little slower then the same hybrids free swimming in a pond for someone else. My thoughts since the gravel pit had cooler water (the owner said it did) it may have slowed their growth a little. Also being in a cage may have been more stressful than free swimming fish, so they may not have grow as fast in the cages.

Bob,

Dr. Gary Miller near Syracuse has been known to sell them too although he primarily grows them in an RAS for sale as food fish. He of course buys them from the orginal supplier like everyone else which is Keo I believe.

My experience is that 4-6 inch HSB available at this time of the year are stunted fish and will never catch up with the 6-8's, which are still small compared to HSB that have been "grown out" under ideal conditions.

I have grown out HSB from previous year class top 12 nches and ~1 pound.

Well today I drove over to the fin fam, bout 45 miles each way. For the last several weeks I've been trying to find the best fish for the best price. Several places either did'nt respond to calls or e-mails. those that did gave conflicting reports of what fish they had but were sure to get some bigger ones real soon. One place e-mailed me he'd have 8-10" fish in on Tuesday but I should come either Tues or Weds as these would sell out very fast. I called back and offered to pre pay and get them Sat. That was agreed on but when we finally spoke the fish turned into 6-8'' fish. Okay this place is about 90 miles from my place so I called the Fin farm. The lady I spoke to ( I believe she is co-owner with Cecils buddy Bob). She said they only had 2-4' but they were actually around 5''s. This sounded good so I made an appointment for today. Got there and the same polite young fellow that got me my YP last yr (they were exactly what they said they'd be). When he asked what he could get me and I said I'd called yesterday and wanted some of the 5"HSB he just looked at the floor and led me to the HSB tank. He scooped a net of about 15 fish that were all but one around 2 1/2" long with one about four. He said he was sorry but what they had in were all small. Just then the lady with arms like Bruce came by and I said excuse me but yesterday I called and you said the HSB were all around 5"s long but I was'nt seeing many even reaching 4"s. She instructed the young fellow to "get a full net'' which he did, probably about 30 or so fish. Two that went over 4 1/2" She then huffed that I'd just have to do some sorting and stamped off. After two more net fulls I told the kid he'd be there all day trying to find 24 5"inchers, he agreed. I went ahead and got 24 but certainly won't do business there again even if it the closest place. For too many people the bottom line is dollars. When I was a kid my dad told me the ONLY thing you take with you from this earth is your reputation. I know Cecil, you have warned about weird Bob before, he and his wife must take turns being silly. I suppose if is my worst fish experience, I'll be lucky. Hope the grandkids enjoy wrestling in some 6" whoppers. Thanks Fin farm Folly!

Did they give you a lower price point since the sizes didnt jive?

Happy B'day Bob-O.

Sorry to hear about your trouble but I appreciate the info. I plan to get my HSB next week. Based upon your experiences, they will not be from Fin Farm. Was there any other helpful supplier info that you could share from your research?

I got my HSB from Jones Fish. I was very happy with them. I've also ordered three other times from them with no complaints. I'm currently waiting on an order for 6-8" BG to replace some that I lost over the winter.

Did they delivery your HSB, you pick them up or ship them?

CJ I went and got em. It was as much my fault as anyones. I should have told her that I won't do business with a liar. I sure won't anymore with them. Cecil had a bad experience with them yrs ago and extensively warned people away, should have heeded his caution, hope everyone reading this is very cautious with them.

Blain thanks for the B-day greeting. Closing in in the big 60 kinda takes the good feeling away but then consider the alternative. As discussed in a previous pm our locations are pretty far away. Most of the folks I contacted were in Ohio or northern IN. I did however find a few places closer to you that have HSB. My first inclination would be Purdue. 765-583-0351 Robert Rode rrode@purdue.edu Sweetwater Springs Fish Farm Mike Eikenberry Peru, In 765-564-5542 Clear Creek Fisheries Larry Hess Martinsville, In 765-342-2973 You might also contact Cecil, he seems to know everyone that even smells like fish.

"....he seems to know everyone that even smells like fish."


Good one!