Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Corrective stocking CNBG Adventure

ewest, thanks for the insight, sounds like it would be time well spent to visit a couple of hatcheries and to check them out, see what there operation looks like and how well they can answer questions. As opposed to ordering fish with a phone call and picking them up at a drop point. If you or someone could help with some basic questions to ask when I visit that would be very helpful. I'm certian when I visit the first one the "awe" factor will prevent me from asking any intelligent questions.

When I first wanted a pond I really did not have a clue where to start. This forum and the PB mag are a valuable resource for all. At some point I will try to post some pictures to see if the jury thinks I'm getting too crazy with my structure.

Thanks again for your advise and time to help the rest of us out.

Best advice :

1. Read a lot here on stocking and when you get to the hatchery be interested in their story. Most are glad to tell you what and how they do things. Play dumb and see if what they say makes sense or is a sales job.

2. Ask them for a pond owner reference and check it out.

3. Post here and see if anyone knows them.

4. Tell them about PB , 3/4 of the way through the visit. That should clue them in that you are serious and not subject to being fooled.

5. Ask them about their fish and stock. Do they grow all their own fish (no contract fish surprises).

6. Take some pics.

7. Tell them what you want and see what they say.

8. Let them know that you want to observe the fish as delivered before stocking and take a few pics and measurements (if stocking other than 2 inch fish).

9. Get a written description of what you order/stock. #s , type and size.

Be nice about it - they will be spending a bunch of their time to sell you a few fish.

I wonder whether or not you should mention the Pond Boss Forum on your initial visits to a given hatchery.

There are some hatcheries that, due to their own actions, are at odds with the forum. Many of these hatcheries give stocking recommendations that don't jive with the experience base/brain trust here on the forum.

While you would not want to follow such a hatcheries recommendations, you may still want to source specific fish from them.

Asking about a hatchery here on the forum is invaluable.

ewest and Sunil, thanks for the tips. Based on what I've seen around and on the net I will probably check out Suttles, Delta Aquaculture, and Shepherd's. Dunn's delivers to a location close to here, but I have a hard time believing that a truck ride from OK to BRLA is good for fish and they are more expensive than the others. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated..
ewest, don't know what part of Miss you live in but, I travel LA and Miss weekly for work, so if you you know of any hatcheries/suppliers in southern MS I should check out please let me know either here or through a private message.

Thanks, again..

Shep, if you order from an Arkansas stocker(I think Dunns is in Ar. not OK.), call them and find out what their delivery schedule is. I was able to get fish on Monday AM in SW Miss. The truck left Sunday from the hatchery. Not too bad. They were in very good condition. Delta, formerly Dixie, in Liberty, Ms. has a good biologist/owner, name is Picard, but the phone staff is so incompetent I have picked up fish from the coop. in Tylertown 45 min. away when they never got back with info and never had the owner call back. I will next try a hatchery in Lumberton Ms. Go to the MSU pond management site, they have a list of hatcheries and what they stock. Have heard good things about Suttles. There has to be some hatcheries close to you. Delta used to be in Clinton, La. I believe. They have someone in S.E. La. I think.

B-meister, thanks for the input, I assume your pond is not in H-town if you are buying fish over here. The problem is the smaller hatcheries are not on the web so it's hard to locate any that are close. LSU ag center's list is very short and MSU's is mostly, MS. I assume the one in Lumberton is Slade's, I drive past there once or twice a week for work, so I might check them out sometime. I would like to believe that if I could pick the fish up at the hatchery and have them back to my pond in a couple of hours that would be best. It also seemed like Dunn's was one of the most expensive. I think Delta/Dixie's other farm is in Houma which is further than the ones in MS.

That's right, Shep. Slades's is the one. If you stop by and talk to them, please post your opinions. My pond is in Tylertown, Ms., which is on hwy 98 between McComb and Columbia. Slades's interested me because the MSU list says they have bluecats. Good luck.

I buy from Slades and found them reliable and honest. Lost some fish one time and they made it good as they had placed them in the pond.

thanks, Paul. That's good enough endorsesment for me! I know you have lots of cats. Did you get any blues?

No Blues but I have lots of others and the fishing should be good next year. I AM STILL HAND FEEDING THE CAT FISH. Cap lock got hit. The bream are doing good and should produce lots of eating fish for large mouth and cats.

Went to lake Norman today for a little while to try to catch CNBG. Didnt catch any CNBG today but got a bunch of very nice RES and a bunch of common BG. I have a quick question about one of the BG. It looked very similar to a regular BG, small mouth, small ear flap, everything said it was a BG but it was so colorful kinda looked fake. I wasnt sure if reg BG get like that or if it was a differnt strain or what but since it had a small mouth I took it.

Joey,

I have some very uniquely colored native BG in a couple of ponds that have "evolved" here for many years without any external genetics being introduced. I call them golden BG because they are a spectacular golden color that I haven't seen anywhere else in BG. The reason for saying all that is to say that BG can and do take on very different colorations.

OK good because this fish was I am pretty sure a regular BG with fabulios coloring. Pinks and blues and purples, bright orange. It was a very clown looking.

Here is a little of the variation ML is talking about.

All are very nice. The fish today was a much much lighter/brighter. I caught a bunch of BG today and this was the only one like this. Did you ever see the tropical fish there called blue ram. This BG was along the coloring of the Blue ram. Well anyways, it was a really nice looking fish. He or she is there new home.