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I've been tossing around the idea of trying to get FHM established in my pond.. I'm pretty bass heavy trying to keep my BG in check.. Since the massive drought my pond was down 3+ foot and my primrose all came back with a vengeance I'm hoping that is prime habitat for FHM (possibly shrimp too??).. Also I was thinking of fencing in a cove too make it a breeding paradise for FHM but how would I do this?? Let me know your thoughts and experience..


I believe in catch and release. I catch then release to the grease..

BG. CSBG. LMB. HSB. RES.

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Problem I always have when fencing in a cove is the algae gets all in the fencing and mucks up the cove. Think it's due to shallow water fish waste and food.

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Fencing an area to protect FHM long term (several yrs) will be very difficult. As Cody notes algae clogging problems occur on the fence barrier which is not all that big of a problem esp if tilapia are available to clean the FA off the fence. After each bass hatch, 1/2" long LMB will invade the fenced area and like the feeding buffet behind the fence barrier. Trying to establish FHM in a pond with LMB is like trying to raise chickens in a fenced in 1 acre woods with 30 foxes in the woods. If you get this to work, many here will want to know how it is done. Good luck.

Last edited by Bill Cody; 11/17/12 03:46 PM.

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Those were all my worries.. Fence, algae, lmb hatch.. Bill honestly if I don't get some good ideas and feedback this project will not even get off the ground..

What about the primrose? Good for FHM recruitment, shrimp???


I believe in catch and release. I catch then release to the grease..

BG. CSBG. LMB. HSB. RES.

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One of my projects for next years is to dig a small pond using rubber roof material for raising FHM. I built a a large pond this way last year for my mother as a koi pond. I believe this may be a more realistic way of raising loads of FHM.

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Is there any possibility for a small pond to raise FHM? Then just transplant them to the main pond .... I would think at least SOME of them would make it, if not, well you still have more growing in the small pond. I would imagine you could have a pretty heavy FHM population in a pretty small pond.

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I had a small forage pond dug in a soy bean field with no water source except water shed. Within 3 months (Aug.) we were catching 2-3 in. croppie with a cast net. The croppie grew to 8 in. in one year and wiped out the fatheads. We are going to drain the pond and try to grow gill-crackers this year but believe that croppie will reappear. There are also bg, ps, and re in this little hole of water. Has anyone else had these fish to show up without stocking? Is there any thing that can be done to keep them out?


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I'm not really interested in building a new pond just for insufficient supplemental feeding. I really want them to establish in the pond where there needed.. If I grew 50 lbs in a forage pond and threw them in my pond couple times a year I think it'd just be a quick snack..

Anyone on primrose for habitat for FHM and GRass shrimp?????


I believe in catch and release. I catch then release to the grease..

BG. CSBG. LMB. HSB. RES.

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Originally Posted By: Bluegillerkiller
I've been tossing around the idea of trying to get FHM established in my pond.. I'm pretty bass heavy trying to keep my BG in check.. Since the massive drought my pond was down 3+ foot and my primrose all came back with a vengeance I'm hoping that is prime habitat for FHM (possibly shrimp too??).. Also I was thinking of fencing in a cove too make it a breeding paradise for FHM but how would I do this?? Let me know your thoughts and experience..


Establishing fatheads in a bass heavy pond? Fogettaboudit! grin

Seriously the maximum size of the fatheads is too small for optimum forage for the larger bass anyway. And at a 10:1 conversion rate vs. 2:1 for pellets why would you want to?

Last edited by Cecil Baird1; 11/17/12 07:52 PM.

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I am not interested in feeding them to the fish except on a sz. 4 gold hook.


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Here are my thoughts

If you put minnows in a large tub of water with any predator you will see just how slow they are compared to predators. And why this is such a hard task.

If your going to attempt this, you will probably need some considerable structure that will provide minnows saftey and lots of it. Maybe like a 5 gal bucket placed upside down with lots of holes in it that only adult minnows and smaller can fit through. Then you would need them all over the pond in hopes some of them are smart enough to use them. Even if this worked the holes may fill over with algae, or small bass could still get in and eat all but the largest of minnows.

If your going to try some sort of netting I think it would be just as easy to build a small forage pond close by and use it to raise them instead. And this is probably as close as your going to get to establishment. But who knows! good luck! I hope you do, so we all can learn how!

Last edited by jakeb; 11/17/12 10:28 PM.

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So from what I'm reading it seems no one has the possibility of having FHM in a pond with LMB.. So does anyone have FHM established in their pond..??

Cecil they were more for overall feeding BG, HSB but the LMB are heavy to keep my BG in check I really don't care about feeding them..


I believe in catch and release. I catch then release to the grease..

BG. CSBG. LMB. HSB. RES.

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Bluegillerkiller, I stocked FHM(35,000), BG(3500) & RES(500) 6 years ago I stocked 500 LMB 5 1/2 years ago all into a 4 acre BOW. The pond has a huge amount of downed trees, root wads, and stumps that sprouted before the pond filled. It is very hard to fish with out being on top of some sort of cover unless you are right up on some of the banks or right in front of the dam. I do still have FHM. I don't see huge schools of them, but they are still there. This was from the outset though, not stocking FHM into an existing LMB population. I don't know if this helps you, good luck! CMM


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BGK - IMO the dense growth of primrose around the pond perimeter will be as good as or better than buckets with holes as refuge for FHM. I have never see FHM established in a pond with LMB. As close as I've come to this concept is sampling a small pond with lots of Gambusia (mosquito fish) inhabited by one LMB abt 16". There is a local shallow pond (7',03ac) with GSH, pumpkinseed, and LMB. The pond gets weed choked (100%) in summer with eurasian milfoil. The GSH survive in this pond, PS are not abundant and survivors are mostly large 8"-9"; max LMB size is 12".

I've tried FHM as the dominant forage with YP only ponds. Best success in those ponds are when they are weedy - 50%-80% coverage. FHM do not survive very long in YP only ponds if ponds are weed free or sparse weeds. YP hunt down every FHM. Non-pellet eating adult YP can be aggressive on FHM. LMB are even more aggressive and no doubt push FHM out of weed cover as do YP.
Example: Small 0.2 ac pond stocked with only 90 female pellet trained YP, grass shrimp, and FHM & BNM (bluntnose minnow) at a ratio of 16 FHM : 1 BNM. Pond has water lilies (10%) and small pondweed 30%. After 5-7 yrs the trap caught ratio of FHM:BNM minnows has reversed to at least 20 BNM : 1 FHM. It appears that FHM are the minnow of choice for YP.

Last edited by Bill Cody; 11/18/12 11:22 AM.

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If there were enough cover in the pond to establish FHM, I would be afraid of that same cover providing refuge to my yoy BG, preventing the LMB from keeping the BG population in check. In my opinion, and it is opinion only, you would be trading a possible increase in forage for your BG, for a probable increase in your BG population....almost like one would cancel the other out.

Not to mention the FHM would provide another source of food for the LMB, thereby taking the pressure off of the BG. Doesn't sound ideal to me.

Last edited by sprkplug; 11/18/12 11:35 AM.

"Forget pounds and ounces, I'm figuring displacement!"

If we accept that: MBG(+)FGSF(=)HBG(F1)
And we surmise that: BG(>)HBG(F1) while GSF(<)HBG(F1)
Would it hold true that: HBG(F1)(+)AM500(x)q.d.(=)1.5lbGRWT?
PB answer: It depends.
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Good point sprkplug.. The FHM are out the window.. Not that they'd provide enough forage to effect my LMB predation on small BG.. Just seems pointless honestly..

Now what about shrimp and Primrose? Anyone?

Last edited by Bluegillerkiller; 11/18/12 03:30 PM.

I believe in catch and release. I catch then release to the grease..

BG. CSBG. LMB. HSB. RES.

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