Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Georgia Hatcheries

Does anyone know of a good-honest fish hatchery in Georgia?

I'm looking to stock in my 1 1/2 acre pond:

F1X Largemouth Bass
Bluegill
Shellcrackers
Channel Catfish
Fathead Minnows
and maybe Crayfish

Hi Wes, not sure of any local hatcheries but I do know that Arkansas Pondstockers delivers in Georgia probably to local Co-ops as they do here in Alabama. We have had excellent luck with their channel cats bass and grass carp and although I have not purchased their bream and hybrids they did look good. You might want to give them a call and see when they will be in your local area. Bob

Dan Suttle with Suttle Fish Farm will ship to Ga. I bought channel cats, coppernose, redear, carp, fathead minnows and florida strain largemouth from him and they were excellent quality and Dan is very honest. http://www.suttlefish.com/
He shipped the largemouth FedEX overnight and I did not lose a single fish and he guarantees live delivery. The catfish I purchased from him in Feb. are already over 13 inches and they were about 4 inches then. The fatheads, I bought 3000, have spawned since April and I now have tens of thousands. His largemouth are pure strain Florida. He also has native bluegill if you prefer.

I was watching Ray Scott's How to build great small waters and seen "American Sportfish Hatchery" with Barry Smith, but I can't find any information about this hatchery. I called the number, but it was no good. Has anyone dealt with them?

Also, has anyone bought crawfish for stocking?

I've talked with American Sport Fish in Montgomery AL several times about stocking my newly renovated 3 acre pond. They deliver to middle Georgia regularly in the fall. The number is 334-281-7703. They sell coppernose bluegill, redear shellcracker, fathead minnows, an F1 hybrid (native largemouth x florida) and grass carp.

I've talked with American Sport Fish in Montgomery AL several times about stocking my newly renovated 3 acre pond. They deliver to middle Georgia regularly in the fall. The number is 334-281-7703. They sell coppernose bluegill, redear shellcracker, fathead minnows, an F1 hybrid (native largemouth x florida) and grass carp.

Wes,

Perhaps somebody else can shed some light on this, but I personally am unaware of any private hatcheries that are verifying the genetics of their largemouth bass. To do this requires access to very expensive equipment as well as the knowledge of how to use them. State hatcheries in Texas verify their broodfish (and fish collected from state waters) using electrophoresis. A liver sample is required for this genetic test.

To claim that offspring are F1 hybrids, the hatchery must know that one parent is the northern strain, and one is Florida. They would also have to keep each pair seperate so that cross-contamination couldn't occur. It is very likely that this is not the case. A more appropriate term would be FX hybrids, indicating that they really don't know how much Florida genetics are present in the offspring.

Perhaps a minor point, but the "honest" portion of your question brings this practice into question. An honest fish dealer who does not verify genetics would say something like: "My bass contain Florida genetics, but I can't tell you how much".

I've talked with Barry as well and he semaed to be a very sincere person but you've got me wondering if the Texas Dept of Wild Res.(Athens) sells fingerlings for stocking. Their set up in Athens was quite impressive when I visited it about 3 years ago during a fishing trip to Lake Fork. That Anheuser Busch money has that place looking like DisneyLand for bass lovers.

Unfortunately, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department does not sell fish to private lake owners. Heck, we can barely keep up with the needs for public impoundments.

Yes the hatchery in Athens is pretty neat. It's worth a visit anytime you're around.

I have visited American Sportfish Hatchery, and talked with the owners numerous times about what they do.
They are quite conscientious about managing their broodfish bass. Each is tagged, monitored, and selected for genetics. These guys are reputable, and believe wholeheartedly in the F1 cross. While I might take issue with them regarding the merits of only stocking F1 cross bass into a private lake, I wouldn't question the genetic integrity of their broodfish or offspring. They wouldn't dare upset their integrity in the industry by misrepresenting their fish.

Bob,

From your reply, I got the impression that stocking only F1 bass may not be the best way.
My lake is about 1 1/4 acres and I was thinking about stocking 75 f1 bass and 25 florida bass. I will be fertilizing and supplementing the coppernose with floating pellets.

Here's my game plan
Also, I live in NW Georgia.

In October:

750 Coppernose Bluegill
250 Shellcrackers
100 Channel Cats
10 lbs of fatheads

In June (03)

75 F1 bass
25 Florida Bass
Maybe some Threadfin

Does this sound like a good initial stocking for future Trophy Bass?

Wes, I followed a similar stocking ratio and it has worked out well with one exception. I wish I had waited and stocked the catfish after the bass. By the time the Bass are large enough to feed on fatheads, most are gone due to the rapid growth and feeding of the catfish. I had an excellent spawn of fatheads but the past couple of days, you can see the reduction in numbers and the cats feeding on them at chow time.

Thanks Don- I will wait until springtime to stock the cats. I don't want them to eat all my fatheads. Did you stock Florida, F1X, or native largemouth bass?

I stocked Florida strain. They were about 2 inches July 3.

Nary a fathead left.....cats ought to grow bigger

Bob,

In a previous post it souunded like you were opposed to stocking all F1X in a new pond. What do you think about 75 F1Xs and 25 Florida bass for a 1 1/2 acre pond?

Wesley

Dallas, GA

Wes, Arkansas Pondstockers 1-800-843-4748. I've used them to stock my pond. They are very nice people to work with. tb

Wes, Looks like an old post, but I guesss you know I sell all the fish you are stocking. I have sold to over 20 folks in the Paulding county area. I also will be able to electorfish the pond in about 18 months to see how things are going. More info at www.lakework.com.
Thanks, Greg

Greg that link isn't working right now, it comes up as a web hosting site. Oh I have to ask you......"How Bout Them DAWGS!!!" Sorry but living in Tennessee this year is pretty sweet for me having gone to Athens for a few years anyway.

I like to use known genetics. F1 bass stocked with pure strain Florida bass are a good choice. At the same time, it is a good idea to introduce pure native fish also, if you want a mixed gene pool. Remember, F1 bass are the result of native bass crossed with Florida bass. Using F1 to cross with Florida's may be a good cross, but not as good as the original.

Sorry about the link to my website. I'm glad you told me and will find out why the link goes to the hosting site. If you type in www.lakework.com under the address bar, it should come up.
Lusk.. I agree about the F1 bass and have bought them from American Sportfish for the last 4 years now. If you are in GA I can usually delivery them for less than other folks since I go over the state every few weeks.

Yes my DAWGS keeping pulling out the victories!
Thanks, Greg

Greg,
The reason your first link above didn't work is because it has an extra . at the end. When I post a link I usually try to go to the page and copy and past the link on a fresh line to make sure it will work for people.

http://www.lakework.com/

Wayne