Pond Boss Forums FISH & FISHING Sunfish-Including Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass How soon can I stock?

Not sure this is the right forum but I didn't see anything better.

Up in Wisconsin, ice recently gone. I've got some largemouth bass I've been feeding indoors and I'd like to get rid of them ASAP (free up tank space). Just curious if there is a minimum temp it's safe to stock at? These guys have been enjoying the good life at winter temps around 60 degrees.

It is not an optimal time for stocking LMB in Wisconsin, but the critical factor is going to be your water temperature and the process you take to acclimate them.

What is the water temp of the pond and what is the water temp in the aquarium?

I'd have to guess off the top of my head it's 60-65 in the aquarium, and low 40s in the pond. I can get more accurate numbers if need be but that's roughly what we're looking at.

If you have a lot of investment in these LMB, or you are emotionally attached to them, then I would try and wait until the pond water warms up.

Let's see what others have to say.

If you slowly temperature temper them from 65F to low 40's over a period of 4-6 hours by slowly decreasing the temperature they will transfer and survive very well. IMO I would wait for the transfer until the next 2-3 day slight warming sunny period arrives.

It looks like right now we have the opposite of a warming period. Might luck out next weekend though if the weather prediction is decent enough.

I was originally thinking tempering that long might be daunting but I suppose now that I think about it, I could set up a large plastic bin with aeration and or a filter running to keep the water aerated and just run down to the pond every half hour to grab some cold water.

I also have my fish cage I could put in place to adjust them to the pond further. But I wonder though if a fish cage will hurt more than help at this time of year? Does it keep them close to the surface where water may not be ideal?

I have this first batch of largemouth bass which I'm not overly attached to. They were fingerlings last year and many of them appear *fat* to me so they've been doing well all winter. But I will likely have a whole new batch this year I can play with. Later on I will have a larger smallmouth I'd like to make sure he makes it as best he can.

Be careful if you are aerating with air that is colder than the water temps you want to be at.

Does aerating cool down the water quick? I notice you say "air that is colder" so does that mean I should just pick a day where it's warmer out and I'll be fine? I could not aerate and just run an aquarium filter if need be (I realize that's still aerating).

I'd follow what Cody said.

A few years ago I tried to keep the pond cooler by only aerating when the air temp was below 70 degrees. It didn't help at all.

Just go buy a $10 corded indoor/outdoor thermometer or get a swimming pool thermometer. I don't like to transfer fish from water to water that has more than a 5°F difference without tempering the water that the fish are in like Cody explained.

Once the water is within 5 degrees of the pond water, let them go into the pond. The more that they are handled in cool water, the more stressed they are, and the more susceptible they are to fungus.