Quick question. I want to stock YP in my pond and I don't want to spend a lot of money stocking a bunch of fish. So my idea is to stock about 25 YP this fall big enough that they will breed next spring.
My question is, how big must a YP be to spawn? Will a 6 inch YP spawn in spring if stocked in fall?
Yes Bocomo is correct - how big are your predators. A 6" YP can be good food for 13"-14" LMB. 6"ers stocked in fall may not be alive in spring to spawn if LMB are present. 6" perch in their 2nd year can spawn.
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My LMB are 11.5 inches as of last weekend. They have abnormally small mouths so I think (hope) they will be safe. If you guys think it is too much of a risk I could look for bigger fish.
I have never seen a LMB with an abnormally small mouth. Catch one of those 11"-12" LMB and measure its length and the width of its open mouth (gape) for us. Then we can discuss stocking YP.
Last edited by Bill Cody; 09/27/1704:37 PM.
aka Pond Doctor & Dr. Perca Read Pond Boss Magazine - America's Journal of Pond Management
As a general rule when stocking advanced fingerlings , survival increases exponentially with stocker size. I would look for 10 YP (near adults). Hopefully they can spawn early spring and their yoy will stay large enough to avoid yoy LMB predation.
I have never seen a LMB with an abnormally small mouth. Catch one of those 11"-12" LMB and measure its length and the width of its open mouth (gape) for us. Then we can discuss stocking YP.
I will try to catch one in my free time (likely this weekend) and get a picture of gape. Little bit of a newbie question but, how do I measure gape?
Measure gape by pulling the mouth wide open and measure across the mouth opening. Gape can be measured as horizontal and/or vertical axis. The vertical axis is often slightly shorter than the horizontal axis.
Last edited by Bill Cody; 09/28/1711:20 AM.
aka Pond Doctor & Dr. Perca Read Pond Boss Magazine - America's Journal of Pond Management