Pond Boss Magazine
https://www.pondboss.com/images/userfiles/image/20130301193901_6_150by50orangewhyshouldsubscribejpeg.jpg
Advertisment
Newest Members
Shotgun01, Dan H, Stipker, LunkerHunt23, Jeanjules
18,451 Registered Users
Forum Statistics
Forums36
Topics40,902
Posts557,116
Members18,452
Most Online3,612
Jan 10th, 2023
Top Posters
esshup 28,420
ewest 21,475
Cecil Baird1 20,043
Bill Cody 15,112
Who's Online Now
1 members (anthropic), 750 guests, and 227 robots.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 15
1
Member
OP Offline
Member
1
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 15
We have a nice 7 acre lake in Charlotte, NC that is well stocked with Bgill, cats, LMBass, a variety of pan fish and crappie. I read in another posting that in lakes smaller than 20 acres you should cull all crappies. If that is your recommendation I'll accept it, but can you give me some of the reasons why?
Also, could we add crawfish in the spring?

Thanks

Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 128
E
Member
Offline
Member
E
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 128
Dear 1morecast:
Crappie make a poor selection for stocking in a small pond because they tend to ruin the population balance between species. Here's how:

* Crappie have a hinged jaw that allows them to swallow sizable prey, which puts them in competition with bass and catfish.
* Crappie tend to spawn earlier in the spring than do bass, so the juvenile year-class feeds on fry and fingerlings hatched by the largemouth. Again, we see competition with bass.
* With adequate predation by large bass, the crappie capitalize on the first two factors above to over-populate and outstrip their own food supply. "Stunting," it's called.

Crappie CAN be managed effectively, but within a few years, they get to be a lot of trouble. Now you see why most pond professionals are reluctant to stock them in lakes smaller than about 20 acres.

Merrry Christmas, all!
Mark McDonald
Editor, Pond Boss

Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 15,112
Likes: 478
B
Moderator
Ambassador
Field Correspondent
Lunker
Offline
Moderator
Ambassador
Field Correspondent
Lunker
B
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 15,112
Likes: 478
1morecast: In addition to what Mark said - crappies have a lot more eggs at a younger age and smaller body size than largemouth. Example: Crappie start spawning at 6" to 7.5" long compared to bass that don't start spawning until about 12" to 14" long. A 13" crappie can lay up to 325,000 eggs per female whereas reproducing female largemouths lay 2,000 eggs for small females to large females 20,000 eggs. See how baby crappies can quickly outnumber and compete heavily with baby largermouths. Plus as Mark said, crappies are hatched earlier and get a headstart on the food items, thinning it down before the hatchling largemouths "hit the scene".. . BC


aka Pond Doctor & Dr. Perca Read Pond Boss Magazine -
America's Journal of Pond Management
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 3,346
Likes: 97
Editor, Pond Boss Magazine
Lunker
Offline
Editor, Pond Boss Magazine
Lunker
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 3,346
Likes: 97
An alternative to crappie are coppernose bluegill. They grow well in your neck of the woods. When someone tells a biologist they want crappie in a lake, what they are really saying is this,"I want a fish we can eat." Coppernose bluegill are an excellent choice. They have tasty, flaky flesh, and fit well into the ecology of a smaller lake or pond, when managed with bass. And, coppernose regularly grow larger than a pound.


Teach a man to grow fish...
He can teach to catch fish...
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 15
1
Member
OP Offline
Member
1
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 15
Thanks for the info, I have learned from neighbors that the crappie were never stocked, but introduced from area lakes. If we start removing them when caught will that make a difference or are they there for the long haul? Judging by Mr Lusks comments they must be good to eat, I know the cat will be happy to have the free meal!


Link Copied to Clipboard
Today's Birthdays
cro, HC1968
Recent Posts
Relative weight charts in Excel ? Calculations?
by esshup - 03/29/24 01:06 AM
pond experience needed
by esshup - 03/29/24 12:45 AM
New pond middle TN: establishing food chain?
by Bill Cody - 03/28/24 07:57 PM
Happy Birthday Bob Lusk!!
by FireIsHot - 03/28/24 07:33 PM
Working on a .5acre disaster, I mean pond.
by PRCS - 03/28/24 06:39 PM
Fungus infection on fish
by nvcdl - 03/28/24 06:07 PM
Can anyone ID these minnows?
by Dylanfrely - 03/28/24 05:43 PM
1 year after stocking question
by esshup - 03/28/24 04:48 PM
Yellow Perch Spawn 2024
by H20fwler - 03/28/24 04:29 PM
New 2 acre pond stocking plan
by LANGSTER - 03/28/24 03:49 PM
Paper-shell crayfish and Japanese snails
by esshup - 03/28/24 10:39 AM
Newly Uploaded Images
Eagles Over The Pond Yesterday
Eagles Over The Pond Yesterday
by Tbar, December 10
Deer at Theo's 2023
Deer at Theo's 2023
by Theo Gallus, November 13
Minnow identification
Minnow identification
by Mike Troyer, October 6
Sharing the Food
Sharing the Food
by FishinRod, September 9
Nice BGxRES
Nice BGxRES
by Theo Gallus, July 28
Snake Identification
Snake Identification
by Rangersedge, July 12

� 2014 POND BOSS INC. all rights reserved USA and Worldwide

Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5