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In the most recent issue of PondBoss magazine, Bob talks about the spawning order and timing, and how it relates to different species. I thought it very interesting that he states RES spawn after BG. He also mentions this staggered spawning behavior as being a primary reason we rarely see natural hybridization occurring in nature.

After several years observing my ponds as well as my fish, I have noticed that My RES will begin spawning behavior, (defined by me here as males building nests, and showing a commitment to remain on the nests), slightly before the BG begin to do the same. In some cases, the timing between the two,(RES and BG,)is separated by only a day or two...hours, in some instances.

In all cases however, my BG and RES will have a lengthy period wherein their spawning periods overlap. I consider it to be the norm to find RES and BG occupying the same nesting areas, for a few weeks (2-3?) at a time.

I've always considered this to be the primary reason we have such a high percentage of naturally occurring RES x BG hybrids in our ponds, as they are very common here.

I'm curious as to what others are seeing. Do your RES spawn at a different time than your BG? If so, is it earlier or later than the BG?


"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 observation T. I have noticed my res spawning as late as September which was a surprise to me. Generally they are on beds a little later than the first bg spans for me, but I suspect there is significant overlapping at my place too.

Last edited by teehjaeh57; 04/05/15 10:52 AM.

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There are many factors that lead to or prevent hybridization. Most of the factors that lead to it are man made. Most of the factors that prevent it are natural. I surmise, before mass human induced factors such as man made water bodies, introduction of species outside their native range, water pollution, etc hybridization was extremely rare. Today, it is more common but not nearly as wide spread as is sometimes believed.

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I've got only RES and FHM in my forage pond. Been trying to catch a single female GSF that I can tell for certain is gravid with eggs and put in with the RES to see if I can get some RES/GSF hybrids.

Have not caught the GSF yet that I've been certain it is a female. My understanding is the other cross with male GSF does not happen much naturally. I darn sure do not want a female and a male GSF in there.

I've only had clear enough water to observe the RES on nests once. They were fairly small last year (4-5") and was not sure they spawned. But have caught two 2" RES in that forage pond in the last couple weeks in minnow trap so they at least got some reproduction. May try to pull a seine through shallower part of the pond when it warms up and see if I have more.


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I will try and get a photo showing the RES coming onto the beds, ahead of the BG. Oftentimes there will be only RES on the nests, while the male BG can be seen staging off in deeper water, waiting to come in.


"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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The first year after stocking HBG and RES, they spawned simultaneously, but the HBG remained very active on the beds all summer long, well into the end of August. Last year, the RES spawned early, and I never once saw the HBG even attempt to spawn. I assumed since they were larger, they must have spawned in deeper water, out of my sight. Of the three areas where the panfish have spawned, one has trees, tree roots, and undercut grassy holes. The RES seem to prefer this area; whereas, the HBG have occupied the traditional flats for spawning. Judging from the number and size feeding this spring, I think I've had more recruitment than I originally thought and am wondering if my WE and SMB can handle efficient predation. I plan to harvest aggressively this summer and remove all fish under 9 inches.

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Brook, good feedback, this is helpful.

Favor to request: Can you please create a post and outline your fishery, goals, and management strategies for us? From what I can take from your post, you have a cool water species fishery with WE/SMB and panfish species of RES and HBG. While we've recommended this often on the forum, you're one of the only people I know who have implemented it to my knowledge.

Few other questions:

Do you have YP? If so, how are they performing competing with HBG for forage?

How is management of HBG? Are you limited gape predators able to keep up?

Are your SMB pellet trained - do you feed?

Have you experienced hybridization of your RES/HBG? I have some of these I suspect, would like to learn of your experiences here and review photos if you have any to post.

Sorry for all the questions - if you have time and feel so compelled please clue us in. This would be important science for the forum, and I'm working on establishing several fisheries and am reluctant to recommend HBG stocking in similar situations as I lack the experience to predict their impact on fishery.


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I had a loosely related Hybrid experience recently. I had a PB reader inquire about getting some Hybrid Black Crappie (HBCP) for his Iowa pond. I have not gotten my permits for Iowa, so I looked into costs and which permits were required.

I noticed on the Iowa "Approved Aquatic Species List" Bluegill and their hybrids, Green Sunfish and their hybrids...then,Striped Bass and their Hybrids, White Bass and their hybrids...this means Hybrid Bluegill and Hybrid Striped Bass are "approved, though not directly mentioned.

When it Came to Crappie, White Crappie and Black Crappie are on the list, but no mention of "and their hybrids". I thought, no biggie as that just means I also need a "special" permit, which is free. I call Alan Johnson of Iowa to get the permit, as required.....He calls me back the next day stating that the State Biologist would not allow the Hybrids for fear they would get into the wild.....I have no doubt that since Iowa has plenty of Black and White Crappie in the same lakes, there is plenty of natural hybridization already. Also, since Hybrid Crappie offspring are inferior to both parents little or no F2 survive predation. Seems to be another decision made by a bureaucrat with no basis in reality to me.

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http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/24...amp;uid=3739256

Sound production in sunfish during courtship and mating. Some make similar sounds, others quite different. If I remember right BG, GSF, and RES are the most similer.



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Originally Posted By: Rainman
I had a loosely related Hybrid experience recently. I had a PB reader inquire about getting some Hybrid Black Crappie (HBCP) for his Iowa pond. I have not gotten my permits for Iowa, so I looked into costs and which permits were required.

I noticed on the Iowa "Approved Aquatic Species List" Bluegill and their hybrids, Green Sunfish and their hybrids...then,Striped Bass and their Hybrids, White Bass and their hybrids...this means Hybrid Bluegill and Hybrid Striped Bass are "approved, though not directly mentioned.

When it Came to Crappie, White Crappie and Black Crappie are on the list, but no mention of "and their hybrids". I thought, no biggie as that just means I also need a "special" permit, which is free. I call Alan Johnson of Iowa to get the permit, as required.....He calls me back the next day stating that the State Biologist would not allow the Hybrids for fear they would get into the wild.....I have no doubt that since Iowa has plenty of Black and White Crappie in the same lakes, there is plenty of natural hybridization already. Also, since Hybrid Crappie offspring are inferior to both parents little or no F2 survive predation. Seems to be another decision made by a bureaucrat with no basis in reality to me.


That is ludicrous. Anywhere BCP and WCP exist hybridization occurs - they are a native fish to IA - in addition to the observations you make, it leaves me dumbfounded, but not surprised.


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I doubt that any state biologist who stops a fish truck can correctly identify a hybrid crappie unless they see the sales receipt that says hybrid crappie.


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I wonder if the RES have a higher commitment to the nest than do BG. My experience is that they will demonstrate considerable devotion to guard duty, going beyond the lengths commonly displayed by our BG. In the early stages such as nest construction, they do appear to fluctuate somewhat, moving in and off the site as water temps and/or rain events interrupt their activity, but once established and "on" the nest, they tend to stay put, even when the BG are more easily disrupted.

Anyone else?


"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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TJ, I love talking ponds, so I'd be glad if my experiences could be beneficial to someone else--especially those considering HBG. I'm no expert; and, frankly, I owe whatever success I've had to the wisdom of those on this forum.

Prior to building my pond in 2012, I only knew ponds overloaded w/stunted BG or LMB, and I desperately wanted to avoid that. However, I also wanted a very diverse fishery with the species I like to pursue even tho' they're not common here. However, growing big HBG became the main goal. The first thing was to build a huge forage base of FHM, so I staked 15 pallets around the pond. They cooperated in a big way. I began feeding by hand twice a day w/Aqumax 500 and was amazed at the hybrids' growth. The first year tho', much to my chagrin, they were far more interested in nesting than they were w/feeding. Last summer, I didn't see any nests other than the RES. During these two years, I limited my fishing only to get samples and take measurements. They all progressed at the same rate. There were few variances among all I caught. The first ones measured 6.5 inches all w/good girth. The next measured 8", and this spring most were pushing 9.5 to 10".

My pond is an acre, 14 ft deep, w/trees on the north side. I stocked 300 RES at the same time as my HGB. The pallets I put out for FHM were covered w/tiny black snails. They disappeared very quickly, and the RES I saw at feeding time were much bigger at first than the HGB. They have spawned consistently in the same spot. However, their stints the first year were much briefer than the HBG.

The second year, I noticed some slight recruitment, so I added WE and SMB as predators. The plan was to add HSB this winter, but I sourced some YP and golden shiners from Rainman and put the HSB on hold. We'll see how harvest goes this summer, and I still may add them this winter once I get the biomass down. I ordered 25 6" WE and 25 4-5" SMB, but my fish supplier was generous and gave me 38 WE and 40 2-3" SMB. This spring, the WE are a healthy 13-14", and I caught my first smallie yesterday. He was a fat little guy at 10", so I'm pleased at the predators' growth.

I added bottom structure and have placed pallets, 2 cedar trees in deeper water, and a few trees around the edges. I just added the trees to encourage the YP to spawn. I have yet to catch a YP but saved 3 healthy ones from my overflow, which has had the screen repaired and a second one added to the back of the overflow. I staked the trees and can remove them easily at any time. I know I'm adding cover for the YOY and may regret this.

Starting last year, I started feeding only once a day--a larger amount--and feel this is adequate. I mix Aquamax 500 and 600. I believe the SMB are feeding some.

I hope this helps.

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Originally Posted By: teehjaeh57
Originally Posted By: Rainman
I had a loosely related Hybrid experience recently. I had a PB reader inquire about getting some Hybrid Black Crappie (HBCP) for his Iowa pond. I have not gotten my permits for Iowa, so I looked into costs and which permits were required.

I noticed on the Iowa "Approved Aquatic Species List" Bluegill and their hybrids, Green Sunfish and their hybrids...then,Striped Bass and their Hybrids, White Bass and their hybrids...this means Hybrid Bluegill and Hybrid Striped Bass are "approved, though not directly mentioned.

When it Came to Crappie, White Crappie and Black Crappie are on the list, but no mention of "and their hybrids". I thought, no biggie as that just means I also need a "special" permit, which is free. I call Alan Johnson of Iowa to get the permit, as required.....He calls me back the next day stating that the State Biologist would not allow the Hybrids for fear they would get into the wild.....I have no doubt that since Iowa has plenty of Black and White Crappie in the same lakes, there is plenty of natural hybridization already. Also, since Hybrid Crappie offspring are inferior to both parents little or no F2 survive predation. Seems to be another decision made by a bureaucrat with no basis in reality to me.


That is ludicrous. Anywhere BCP and WCP exist hybridization occurs - they are a native fish to IA - in addition to the observations you make, it leaves me dumbfounded, but not surprised.


I just got another call from Alan Johnson in Iowa. The customer called the DNR and must have made a good argument because Iowa is now issuing a special permit to allow the stocking. It is nice to know that at least this time, the powers that be above Alan, listened to reason and found some common sense.



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A 10" HBG would be a beautiful fish. Snap some pics if you get a chance the next time you catch one.

Now if you could just get some recruitment of a HBG/RES cross..........................that might be an interesting fish. Although I know recruitment is not your goal.

Last edited by snrub; 04/07/15 10:05 AM.

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Originally Posted By: brook wilson
TJ, I love talking ponds, so I'd be glad if my experiences could be beneficial to someone else--especially those considering HBG. I'm no expert; and, frankly, I owe whatever success I've had to the wisdom of those on this forum.

Prior to building my pond in 2012, I only knew ponds overloaded w/stunted BG or LMB, and I desperately wanted to avoid that. However, I also wanted a very diverse fishery with the species I like to pursue even tho' they're not common here. However, growing big HBG became the main goal. The first thing was to build a huge forage base of FHM, so I staked 15 pallets around the pond. They cooperated in a big way. I began feeding by hand twice a day w/Aqumax 500 and was amazed at the hybrids' growth. The first year tho', much to my chagrin, they were far more interested in nesting than they were w/feeding. Last summer, I didn't see any nests other than the RES. During these two years, I limited my fishing only to get samples and take measurements. They all progressed at the same rate. There were few variances among all I caught. The first ones measured 6.5 inches all w/good girth. The next measured 8", and this spring most were pushing 9.5 to 10".

My pond is an acre, 14 ft deep, w/trees on the north side. I stocked 300 RES at the same time as my HGB. The pallets I put out for FHM were covered w/tiny black snails. They disappeared very quickly, and the RES I saw at feeding time were much bigger at first than the HGB. They have spawned consistently in the same spot. However, their stints the first year were much briefer than the HBG.

The second year, I noticed some slight recruitment, so I added WE and SMB as predators. The plan was to add HSB this winter, but I sourced some YP and golden shiners from Rainman and put the HSB on hold. We'll see how harvest goes this summer, and I still may add them this winter once I get the biomass down. I ordered 25 6" WE and 25 4-5" SMB, but my fish supplier was generous and gave me 38 WE and 40 2-3" SMB. This spring, the WE are a healthy 13-14", and I caught my first smallie yesterday. He was a fat little guy at 10", so I'm pleased at the predators' growth.

I added bottom structure and have placed pallets, 2 cedar trees in deeper water, and a few trees around the edges. I just added the trees to encourage the YP to spawn. I have yet to catch a YP but saved 3 healthy ones from my overflow, which has had the screen repaired and a second one added to the back of the overflow. I staked the trees and can remove them easily at any time. I know I'm adding cover for the YOY and may regret this.

Starting last year, I started feeding only once a day--a larger amount--and feel this is adequate. I mix Aquamax 500 and 600. I believe the SMB are feeding some.

I hope this helps.


Thanks Brook for the summary. I am interested to see how your WE, YP and SMB and adult HBG control your HBG recruitment. If you get this to work, it will provide the science needed to justify HBG as companion panfish species for limited gape predator fisheries. Please keep us apprised of your progress - I am very interested in your project and the challenges you face.


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There are differences between RES and BG nesting.

BG large colonies – mostly
RES small groups
RES red ear tab
BG black ear tab
Each has its own noises and chemical markers – oder/smell
BG spawn around 70 F
RES spawn around 68 to 70 a little sooner than BG

I have observed RES spawn first with some overlap. BG spawn several times and so can RES just not as many (BG up to 10 X and RES up to 3X)so there is a rolling type spawn.

Bluegill Colony





Redear nest












Bluegill beds






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That's been my observation also, ewest. The RES will spawn first,( the difference between RES and BG spawning times is very slight), and they will overlap.


"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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Looking at those great photos, you'll also notice how clean the BG nests are in comparison to the RES nests, which contain numerous sticks/debris nearby.

Last edited by brook wilson; 04/07/15 03:12 PM.
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Great pictures ewest. Thanks.

I would presume that if a person was aiming at getting some hybrids on purpose, introducing a single gender of the target species would help?

For example, introducing only female RES in a pond full of mixed BG might increase chances of a BG/RES hybrid compared to having both male and female RES? I would assume if the female RES had no choice in suitable males other than BG males she might select a male BG over letting her eggs go unfertilized. Does this sound like a reasonable assumption?

In some of the research articles you have previously posted, some crosses are very unlikely in nature (though can be cone in the lab) where others are more common. As an example a male GSF x female RES is very unlikely to happen in nature (but when done in the lab leads to mostly male offspring which is usually the desired outcome) but the male RES x female GSF is much more likely (but produces roughly 50-50 male/female offspring which can also reproduce).

At least that is what I gleaned from one of the very old research papers where they were stocking ponds with a few RES males and GSF females to populate the pond with RES/GSF hybrids. I think this was back in the day when stocking fish hybrids were not commercially available like they are today.


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FWIW I have 1 LMB in with 6 SMB. All about the same size though the LMB was a little smaller when stocked. IF I get a spawn in my little pond and IF I get recruits that dun look 100% like SMB and is maybe a MMB I will let you guys know and post a pic or two.

Last edited by Bill D.; 04/08/15 04:33 PM. Reason: Clarification

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Originally Posted By: Bill D.
FWIW I have 1 LMB in with 6 SMB. All about the same size though the LMB was a little smaller when stocked. IF I get a spawn in my little pond and IF I get recruits that dun look 100% like SMB and is maybe a MMB I will let you guys know and post a pic or two.


Hi Bill. Have you seen any sign of a YP hatch? I have tons of tiny FHM around the pond edge. Some are so small I can hardly make them out. I don't know how early FHM spawn but I sure didn't see this many in the pond before it froze last winter. Haven't seen any hatched YP yet but they might still be tiny. I threw in a baited minnow trap this afternoon to get an idea of what's swimming around.

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Originally Posted By: poppy65
Hi Bill. Have you seen any sign of a YP hatch? I have tons of tiny FHM around the pond edge. Some are so small I can hardly make them out. I don't know how early FHM spawn but I sure didn't see this many in the pond before it froze last winter. Haven't seen any hatched YP yet but they might still be tiny. I threw in a baited minnow trap this afternoon to get an idea of what's swimming around.


Nothing yet but IMO I think it is probably still a little too early for the YP eggs to hatch. Can take a few weeks I think, depending on water temp. I have very low visibility right now, 12 to 18, so don't even know if I got strands this year.

IMHO FHM should be firing up soon. As soon as yer water is in the low 60s. I had lots of .75 to 1.25 inch ones right after ice out as well. Only thing I can figure is they are the last spawn from last fall.


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The YP eggs will hatch several weeks before the FHM will even lay eggs.

Last edited by Bill Cody; 04/09/15 10:28 AM.

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Snake Identification
by Rangersedge, July 12

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