Pond Boss Forums FISH & FISHING Fly Fishing & Other Fish Species HSB sample

Since the water has cooled off nicely, I wanted to catch a HSB to see how they're progressing. I stock them last year as 6"-8" fish. They seem to be doing well. I was impressed with how fat the fish was. I'll be adding another 20 on Friday. Looking to create the perfect kid pond for my two daughters.

Wow! Nice fish! Are you feeding or did he get that fat on your amazing forage base?

Nice work T - take some WR measurements next time out and let us know. Are you feeding?

I hand feed 2-3 times a week. The HSB do feed on pellets but I mostly feed the forage fish. I caught the HSB on a small plastic paddle tail shad jig. I had a rock bass on but it threw the hook. It would have been the largest rock bass I've ever caught. Keeping predator numbers low through single sex or non reproducing species is so far a good plan. The pond is still swarming with forage.

That is a beauty fish. Very nice. I put twenty in last year at a little smaller than yours and am around 12 inches with them now. Feed twice a day by hand but they are slowing down. Seeing minnows is a rarity now. No evidence that yellow perch are in the pond. Only had one strand this year and no YOY are in sight. I think I should have given yellow perch one year prior to HSB. No other forage though - very little vegetation for cover.

I am loving these HSB though. Your picture is causing me to go out today and fish. I will blame it on you.

Consider WR measurements next time for me please if you can...I want to see how they are doing with infrequent pellet feedings. I'm sure with the abundant forage they are doing well, just would like to see the data.

Can you detail the fishery species present again? Is this the neighborhood pond you've been managing the last few years?

B.Cody question. Was the rock bass stocking a single sex method in this pond?

I'll try to get some WR's when I catch the next one. It is the neighborhood pond. If only people in the neighborhood had any idea what I've done with it. It tucked in the back behind trees, most probably don't even know it's there. The fishery consists of a small number of all male BG, around 20 all female black crappies, 8 albino CC and 14 HSB with another 20 going in tomorrow. I also stocked 75 RES and 75 golden RBS. So far no signs of them reproducing. I've also stocked 10 SMB and 8 rock bass. My hope with both is they will not reproduce as there are no rocky areas in the pond. It is all mud/detritus bottomed. The forage consists of FHM, banded killifish, bluntnose minnows, eastern silvery minnows, satinfin shiners, spotfin shiners, lake chubsuckers and GSH will be stocked in the spring now that the HSB/SMB are reaching a size to control them. Also have tons of grass shrimp and some native crayfish. Crazy stocking but I wanted something different and am learning a lot as watch the different species interact.

That is more predators than I thought you would put in but it sounds great. Why the albino cats?

Victor, I have found that once you are finally convinced that you have no Yellow Perch, and will be the title to your house on it, they show up.

I want to see one of those Golden RBS when you catch one.

Easy for my daughter to see when we feed the fish. A big reason I went with the golden RBS as well... If they had golden HSB, I'd stock them as well. HAHA

Awesome Travis - what a fun experiment. Sounds like it's working well...I'd love to hear how the RBS, BG, and RES are doing also. Crappie getting any size to them yet?

Have not tried fishing for the crappies yet, so no clue how they are doing. They were put in as 6"-8" females full of eggs in the spring. If I catch one, I will update the progress. Have not tried fishing for any of the sunfish. The RES and RBS are fairly recently stocked. The BG I rarely see but are 10-12" in size.

I guess those golden Oscars have frozen out by now.....LOL

Have the eastern silveries spawned?

Yes, the eastern silvery minnows spawned. Had a good year class this year and hope that more will mature and I will have a huge year class this upcoming year. I will need it to help feed all the mouths. I actually saw a rosey red FHM for the first time in forever at the pond today. Predatory pressure must not be too heavy yet if a rosey red is swimming around. Now if the SMB or rock bass pull off a spawn, I will have some serious management issues to confront. My hope is the lack of any rocky areas will make their spawning success minimal to non-existent.

And yes, the albino Oscars someone put in there didn't make it through the winter. HAHA

Getting those Golden Shiners in there will help prevent the Smallies from spawning.

Yeah, I didn't want to stock them too soon as I was afraid they would get out of control.

They will eat a lot of yoy fish for sure.

I'm still debating on even adding GSH to the fishery. I think they will compete with my sunfish for food and will eat a lot of fry and smaller size young of my other forage fish. My biggest reason for adding them is that they reach a size none of my other forage fish reach other than the LCS. I am not sure the LCS are prolific enough to be the back bone of the forage base of my larger HSB. Perhaps the LCS along with YOY of RES and RBS will be enough of a forage base for the larger HSB. The banded killifish also reach 6", which is a pretty good meal, even for a larger HSB. I have banded killifish so larger they can swallow an Aquamax 500 pellet whole. Once they get to that size, they really pack the size on as they can eat whole pellets without having to peck at them like the smaller ones do.

One solution to your not having large enough forage and enough forage is to not stock as many predators (HSB). Each fish can eat only a certain amount. Amount of forage can be controlled by controlling the numbers of predators.

You may prove that SMB and rock bass do not need rocky areas to produce a successful spawn.

Sounds like a well thought out plan !

Yes, I may have to scale back on the number of HSB I have. That is why I like HSB. I can easily control them, if I start to see forage issues, I just remove a few. No worry of them making babies...

Only time will tell if SMB/rock bass can spawn in a mud/detritus bottom only pond... They should be reach a mature size no later than two springs from now. The rock bass are already mature, but no signs of them spawning.

T - I would wait on the GSH and stock only if forage base is in dire need of backups. As you surmise, they will compete aggressively with your sunfish, and in my experience, with my YP as well. I support your hunch to wait on the GSH until the fishery demands it. Supplemental stocking of a few hundred GSH can make up a lot of ground in a hurry.

My SMB have pulled off successful spawns on beds of clay in the main pond. I have witnessed males on beds where they fan off the silt in 3-5' depths. This year I collected SMB fry from 3 schools from 3 different males - 2/3 were located in areas with no rock substrate. Of course this doesn't mean it's going to happen to you, but wanted to update you on my experience the last few years.

Note: Those YOY SMB might never have made it long due to my high density of predators in the fishery - but did help me stock the reproduction pond after my failed spawn of adult fish as I netted the fry this Spring around the main pond shallows in their schools right near Daddy. If you do pull a spawn its possible your sunfish and shiners/suckers/minnows might hammer them to extirpation also.