Pond Boss Forums STOCKING A NEW POND Types of fish to choose How soon can I begin stocking program?

tj:

I think breeding SMB with single sex LMB would eliminate many of the difficulties experienced if the LMB population were also breeding. The LMB would still be top o' the heap in predation, but the impact on the SMB would be limited along with LMB numbers.

SMB are supposed to feed train easier than LMB (I intend to find out about that in 3-5 years), so one could pellet train (some of) the SMB, which might even out the above remaining bias to some extent.

I have referred your question for Mr. Gallus to my Dad , Grandpa Gallus having passed some years ago.

You could end up with LMB X SMB crosses.

Ewest/Theo: Thank you for both taking time to respond. Sounds as though it's a worthwhile effort on my part to attempt the project - the SMB might stand a fighting chance. I've never read anything about LMB/SMB hybrids - I will do so now.

Ewest - eager to hear your Dad's feedback. Sorry bout the formality - force of habit at my job here all day!

TJ

TJ I called Anderson Farms yesterday and talked to Max. Sort of like asking a quesiton on this site. You get a lot more than you bargained for. Anyway, they do ship out a box of 250K min order of GSH fry when they are available this spring. The price was around $250. Max was really helpful. Gave me more nifo than I asked for, and seemed to care about whether I did things the right way. Anyway, he recommended waiting on a plankton bloom before dumping in all those fry. In the mean time, I might just do some adult FH and feed them. With all the rain we are having though I can't get down to the water without getting ten pounds of mud on my boots. So I might wait a few weeks for it to dry up some anyway.

Thank you Pondsea - I may PM you for some details or buzz the Anderson's myself. I don't think GSH will do well this far North [Zone 5] but am really interested in establishing and hopefully keeping a nice breeding stock of FH so I can constantly feed the pond[s]. Sounds like more work than I need to trouble with, but I have this ITCH developing over the past couple months that just won't go away - and all I want to do is breed and selectively stock and sell fish! If my wife had any idea of what I was running through my mind in my office all night on this forum she'd lock up the checkbook and have me committed. Please keep in touch and let me know how that great project of yours comes along - I'm right behind you and can use any advice you have.

TJ

Bob-O, interesting question and I'm not sure how well fatheads orient to structure except when spawning. I generally find bunches of them pretty well dispersed and quite often in shallower water (sometimes less than 2 to 3 inches)that is devoid of cover. I have also walked the perimeter of a small pond tossing food to them. I have a bunch of one to five ft deep brush structure in the upper end of one of my my ponds. It sticks out of the water and I often tossed feed into it. Never saw a fathead there, just BG.

About 3 years ago, I stocked a guys pond who wanted no brush cover. I put some decent sized logs and tree stumps in the water. They extended from the bank into about 4 ft. of water and were weighted on the end. The fatheads did use them for spawning.

Their value as a kick off forage is that they are a slow swimming, shallow water fish. However, I once saw a pretty good sized school of them fleeing some newly stocked CCs about 50 yds from shore. Of course, I have no idea where the herding started.