I am going to add a little fall food for my native LMB tomorrow. Buying 1,000 Tuffy Minnnows, 100 Redear Bream-2", 100 Native Bluegill-2", and I noticed they sell Goldfish for $9.50/#, wonder if that would be good for the LMB to eat and would they reproduce? Thinking about Channel Cats as well, only 1 acre, don't want to overload pond, any thoughts on my stocking theory? Thanks!!!

Goldfish are carp. I would steer clear of adding them to the pond and, yes, they will reproduce.

How big are your LMB?

I have a few in the 3-5 # range that I've caught, 90% of my LMB caught this Fall have been 1#.

With LMB like that, I think you are correct that they will quickly consume the fish in your forage stocking plan. The 2 inch fish will be a welcome snack. I am curious, if the intent is to just provide some supplemental forage, why not stock something less expensive than BG and RES like GSH?

Gold fish is a carp - this is a misnomer. Technically goldfish are not carp. Koi and carp are basically the same fish specie Cyprinus carpio. Goldfish are a different genus and specie technically Carassius auratus. One of the distinguishing differences between the two is that goldfish do not have the noticeable barbel at the corner of the mouth. The mouth barbel is loaded with taste buds and allows the carp to taste food when the snout is submerged in bottom mud thus the carp mainly roots or feeds in the bottom for food items. Plus goldfish do not have the protrusible mouth as do carp and koi. Goldfish when abundant can create turbid water as do carp by foraging in the sediments for food items. Individually goldfish do not get a big as carp and koi thus carp can create more muddy water per fish than a gold fish.

Thanks for the clarification Bill!.....I still wouldn't want them in my pond!

I also was not aware of the taxonomic differences between goldfish and carp.

To Bill C's. Point...



And the barbel...

Nice koi.

Probably could've sold the thing for 50$ too!

Awesome info. I was considering them for a forage species but doesn't sound like the right thing to do. I will go with the Native BG and some RES. Thanks for the help!

I had a friend who had a pond that was not dug right. The sides, the ability to walk out. He put gold fish in the pond in the beginning. He drained the pond to dig it right. The were millions of gold fish.

I put 3 kio in mine. If I drain it in a few years and theres millions. I would be one happier camper because I paid 15 bucks each. I would be going into the kio business.

Goldfish in a pond with no predators is a big management headache.

Goldfish in a pond with adult LMB or other aggressive predators and they will end up being a good forage source.

I missed Mr. Bill D's comment about stocking GSH, my fish hatchery doesn't sell GSH, so the cheapest thing I could get was the NBG and RES with FHM. I am looking into going trap some FHM in nearby BOW.

I bought my GSH from a bait shop and inspected each fish individually to be sure I was not stocking any troublemakers.

Contact Anderson's they will mail GSH fry in the Spring - they claim 250,000 YOY fry. GSH far better forage option than GF.