Pond Boss Forums POND CONSTRUCTION Creating habitat Rock Size for LMB Spawning

I would like to add some rock piles to my ponds to help with LMB spawning. Was thinking about getting some 2-3 inch rock as it is pretty cheap. Would this be a good size or would another size work better?

I failed to ask if smaller rock (say 1 inch gravel or sand) would be better than the 3" gravel. I will only get one load, so I'd like to get the best size possible that's within my budget.

I would personally go for stuff in the pea gravel/shot sand size range, under the assumption that it would be easier for nesting LMB to move than larger gravel.

Hey John,

I'm south of you down Joplin way. See if you can find a load of creek gravel, alot cheaper then quarry rock and much better. I had no trouble finding it for $125.00 a load delivered last month. Should be available in your area too.

John,
How far north are you? There are several river rock dredging operations along the Missouri river between KC and ST. Joseph. It would be much cheaper to get it from them than to buy from a hauler.

i didn't put any gravel in and the bass and gills still spawned. why bother?

ken - over the long haul the percentage of successful spawns will be higher when bass have gravel coarse sand substrates. Bgill and bass can successfully spawn in firm bottom clay substrates but in marginal conditions or situations gravel substrates out perform firm clay bottoms. Many ponds can function with marginal spawning successes. It all depends.

If you can find some some cut off plastic drums to put pea gravel in you may be better off. Many times gravel on a soft bottom get's absorbed into the bottom and silted in.

Cecil, have you tried that method succesfully? I cut plastic barrel in half, and filled both parts about 6" deep with pea gravel. My water is chocolate color, so I can't see what is happening. But after couple of years I pulled them out and they look unused (no nest shaped depressions). I wonder if the high edges had something to do with it. Now I sank 12'x12' tarp to keep the gravel from sinking into the mud and am in the process of creating 4" deep layer of pea gravel on top.

Ed - The cut-off barrel with gravel for sunfish and bass spawning works best if the gravel is within 1"-3" of the rim of the barrel.

Bill & Ed:

So using barrels as gravel holders should be most successful if you use the ends of the barrels as pans, leaving perhaps a 6" lip on it to hold the gravel in?

This would leave an open-ended cylinder from the middle of the barrel for other structure use (hmm?).

personally i really don't want my bass having great spawning conditions. as long as my bluegills are spawning great , thats all i care about. too many bass then i will have to weed them out. i only have acre pond.

I have noticed my largemouth and smallmouth pair (each IN a 125 gallon fish tank) spawn on large flat rocks v.s. rounded stone pits like sunfish ive had- the smallmouth clutches are much smaller and the largemouth like a rock that is like a shallow bowl. The fry are protected vigorously. My largemouth male will attack my hand but my smallmouth doesnt care if i have a crayfish for him.

Theo,

I don't think that my setup got used, but I had over 6" of the barrell wall sticking up above the pea gravel. I thought that they would like it, because they would only have the up direction to defend, but I think they might have felt boxed in. If you do it, you should keep the edges 1-3" hihg, like Bill suggests. After my pond enlargement, I now have some flat areas, where I don't have to worry about the gravel sliding off the tarp. Also, it will provide environment for more natural nest colony.

This is a great time of year to add spawning beds. I use aluminum roasting pans and fill to within 1" of top with pea gravel. The roasting pans are plentiful and cheap due to the hollidays. I bought mine at Wallmart for $1 each. The aluminum pans will last much longer than plastic and require no cutting.

Merry Christmas

My brother is Canepole and we put a load of 12"-18" rip rap in the pond and made several stacks,8 I think,what were we providing habitat for? I thought it was for LMB, am I mistaken?
JD Pool

Nearly all fish will orient on structure. LMB will especially orient there if it is properly located.