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I hope to get enough rain sometime soon so I can start stocking my new pond this spring.lol!It took me about a year longer to get my pond built,so my first goal to get it stocked in a way that will get me fishing the fastest without screwing things up.lol!My long-term goals are just to have a fun place to fish and a pond that looks clean.I'm not looking for trophy fish but it would be nice to have a chance of catching a 4-5 pounder every now and then.The fish I plan to stock are FHM,RES,BG,LMB and a few HSB if I can find them.I know most people on here like to only stock FHM for the first year,but I've read where some people have stocked the FHM and BG at the same time.I know there is at least one fishery near me that has on their website to stock the FHM,RES and BG together in the spring and then stock the LMB in the fall.I would like to do something like that if I can.I was also thinking of stocking advance size fish to speed things up.
My pond builder said my pond should be 3/4 acre but I was thinking I would stock it like a 1/2 acre.I may feed,and I hope to add a aerator in a year or so after we build on the property and have power.
What do you guys think?


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If you stock FHM and they do not have time to reproduce and if they don't have a lot of cover, then they will be expensive fish food. If speed is your goal, maybe feed heavy? I originally stocked my first pond based on a recommendation from a large hatchery. It was OK, but designed to sell fish, not produce the best pond results. I had a prolonged period of snow over Ice a few years later which has let me re-balance things. Some things just take time. You can add the FHM before the pond is full. That is what I did in my third fish pond last fall after I built it and it partially filled - just added 1 lb because it had so little water (1/2 acre when it fills). When I started, I just wanted everything done. Now I really enjoy the process of getting there (and learning). Still working on the 2nd pond built in 2014 to hopefully get a fun SMB/YP pond. Most of all, have fun!

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I can not say for sure about stocking in Missouri but here in E Texas, you could stock FHM's along with 3 to 5" BG and RES in early spring (1st of March) and follow up with some advanced yoy lmb in late fall. And if you can feed, I would because healthy BG may spawn more fry and more often. I understand wanting the fastest way to get to fishing lol

Last edited by TGW1; 01/14/18 08:39 AM.

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Originally Posted By: Bobbss
I hope to get enough rain sometime soon so I can start stocking my new pond this spring.lol!It took me about a year longer to get my pond built,so my first goal to get it stocked in a way that will get me fishing the fastest without screwing things up.lol!My long-term goals are just to have a fun place to fish and a pond that looks clean.I'm not looking for trophy fish but it would be nice to have a chance of catching a 4-5 pounder every now and then.The fish I plan to stock are FHM,RES,BG,LMB and a few HSB if I can find them.I know most people on here like to only stock FHM for the first year,but I've read where some people have stocked the FHM and BG at the same time.I know there is at least one fishery near me that has on their website to stock the FHM,RES and BG together in the spring and then stock the LMB in the fall.I would like to do something like that if I can.I was also thinking of stocking advance size fish to speed things up.
My pond builder said my pond should be 3/4 acre but I was thinking I would stock it like a 1/2 acre.I may feed,and I hope to add a aerator in a year or so after we build on the property and have power.
What do you guys think?


Hey Bobbss,

We have 4-5 lb LMB in our 2.2 ac MidMo pond so it is possible at our latitude but it is a LOT of work culling dink bass every year. You're only at 3/4 ac so the job will be even tougher. I would strongly encourage you to consider a HSB focus -- that's what I would do if we were starting over from scratch even for our 2.2 ac pond.

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You can stock with larger fish but reduce the numbers except for FH. If you use 2 inch BG then use 2 inch LMB. If you use 4-5 inch BG in the spring then use 6 inch LMB in the fall. If you do the later than overstock the FH.
















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Thanks guys!I was planning to overstock the FHM with 10 pounds or more.I also have a small sediment pond just above,and if it holds water well enough I plan to put some FHM in it and see what happens.I was planning to use 4"-5" BG and RES in the spring and 6"-8" LMB and HSB in the fall.
I wouldn't want to go with only HSB,I don't want to have to restock that often.I was thinking maybe 2/3 LMB and 1/3 HSB.


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The sediment pond shoud work well to raise FHM, at least for the initial stocking.

How it works in subsequent years depends. If the elevation of the sediment pond is not much higher than the main pond, during any significant rain event small BG will swim up stream and get in the sediment pond. Small ones can swim up in as little as a half inch deep water if the inclination is not very steep. One to two inch deep water and they can swim up a pretty steep stream of water. I have watched them do it then jump up a six inch vertical drop.

Last edited by snrub; 01/15/18 05:52 PM.

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Thanks Snrub, the sediment pond does set up pretty high above the main pond and is pretty steep and a little hard to walk up and down but I won't say that there is no way they could swim up it in a heavy rain.I will try to get some pictures when water is flowing if we ever get some rain.lol!My stocking plans are based on the fact that I'm counting on getting enough rain to fill it enough to stock.lol!


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Would it help any if I stock the FHM in early spring and the BG in late spring?Would the FHM start spawning before late spring?


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Why not stock the FHM, BG and RES at the same time? Most everyone here stocks them all together. I would want them in and spawning the first day the water temps hit their desired spawning temps. And the only way I can do that, is to have them in the pond early.


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Thanks TGW1!Does anyone have any ideas on the amounts to stock using larger fish?The pond should be 3/4 acre but I thought I'd treat it more like a 1/2 acre.Mo Con says I'm in a 75% zone.


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I was thinking around 10 lbs. FHM,20 4"-5" RES,125 4"-5" BG in the spring,and 26 6"-8" LMB,12 6"-8" HSB in the fall.


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IMO your best success with your plan is to stock BG & LMB esp LMB that are pellet trained. This will relieve some of the predatory pressure on the smaller fish and allow them to become more established before the bass spawn the first time which could be the 1st spring after the fall stocking of 6"-8" bass. All HSB sold are pellet trained but not all LMbass. Do your homework before buying.

Last edited by Bill Cody; 01/21/18 07:14 PM.

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Thanks Bill Cody!I will plan on feeding.It will probably have to be by hand at first.Until we get a house built and move on to the property,I'd be afraid a feeder might grow legs.lol!Does anyone know where to get pellet trained fish near me?


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I got back on the websites of some of the fish farms I was condidering and at least one of them has pellet feed fish.


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What do you guys think of the Hybrid Crappie pond packages offered by J.M. Malone and Sons?
Has anyone heard of HCP overpopulating?I've been searching but everything I find on them is pretty old.


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I have BCP and this is the Fourth year and they have not flourished as well as I would like....... yet
I've always been outside the box on my thinking ( probably not good) so we will see what happens. So far the BCP have not stunted at all.....

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A few here have tried hybrid crappie (HBCP hybrid black crappie or HCP). Technically the hybrid crappie is a cross between the black crappie and white crappie. PatW is one that has black crappie, and TJ (teehjaeh57) has hybrid crappie. TJ posted pictures of a few of his HBCP caught ice fishing this winter - some dandy fish!.
http://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=485555&page=1

A little background on HBCP/HCP. HCP producer JM Malone claims that it does not make a lot of difference which parent for the HCP cross is the female and which the male for growth rate of the hybrids. I am not sure if the sex ratio of males to females varies when the white crappie is the male or famale. Numbers of male offspring does make a difference when BG and GSF are genetically crossed.

Offspring of HCP are considered inferior in terms of growth and young ones are often preyed on by bass hybrid striped bass and larger panfish. Therefore, when stocking hybrid crappie in ponds with bass and bluegill very few of young of the year (YOY) hybrid crappie survive which reduces the chance of overpopulation. In a ten year study conducted in Illinois, ponds stocked with hybrid crappie, bass and bluegill, the hybrid crappie were unable to maintain their population, and year classes were “weak” and no offspring grew to adults. Thus one should periodically stock (aka ladder stocking) some HCP so the pond has several year classes present when the original stocked adults die of old age.

If you are very interested in HCP give them a try and return with your experiences so more can learn from your pond adventure with HCP

Last edited by Bill Cody; 02/04/18 05:22 PM.

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Thanks!Those are some nice fish that TJ posted!
J.M. Malone recommends the same amount of LMB with or without the HCP so it sounds like I wouldn't have to give up my bass,which I wouldn't want to do.I want LMB but it would be nice to have some variety if I can,even if it's small numbers of each.I don't care about trophy fish,I'll be happy with just nice size fish.
J.M. Malone also say it's ok to stock everything at the same time,even the bass,but they are talking about small fish.If I try to stock with larger fish,should the HCP be stock later with the LMB so they don't eat all the FHM before they can reproduce?


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Quote:
"If I try to stock with larger fish,should the HCP be stocked later with the LMB so they don't eat all the FHM before they can reproduce?"

You can stock HCP earlier than the LMB providing you add extra FHM &/or shiners. I would also stock the RES early with the FHM because RES struggle to maintain strong populations in a mixed fish community so I would give them a head start.

I think young crappies (3"-6") will eat primarily the offspring of the FHM not mostly the adult FHM. Some studies indicate that young crappie do not become major predators of fish until the crappie are larger sizes as in 5"-6". Crappie are good at filtering zooplankton as part of their diet. If you don't stock a lot of the HCP early predation pressure will be reduced to the FHM. Adding extra forage numbers to account for the early stock of HCP should allow enough forage for decent growth of the LMB. Depending on the size of the initial stock of HCP maybe double the amount of FHM that you initially stock esp if you use the larger HCP stocker size ofere by JM Malone. Since you have a sediment pond definitely add a portion of the FHM you buy to it. You state your goals are not necessarily to produce trophy LMB and to have basically a quality community of variety of fishes.

Last edited by Bill Cody; 02/05/18 12:02 PM.

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Bill ask me to put some of the Hybrid Crappie info here. Bottom links are not working.

http://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=002275#PostNumber002275

http://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=291583#PostNumber291583

Hybrid Crappie SRAC factsheet

https://srac.tamu.edu/serveFactSheet/277


Additional threads on Black and White and B X W crappie as well diploid and triploid research and success.


http://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=get_topic;f=20;t=002275;p=1

http://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=get_topic;f=5;t=000402;p=1

http://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=get_topic;f=20;t=001332

http://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=get_topic;f=20;t=001319

http://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=get_topic&f=20&t=001230

Last edited by Bill Cody; 02/05/18 03:40 PM.















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Thanks Bill Cody and Ewest!I will look over all the info.
And yes,my main goal is just to have a fun pond to fish in and to me,the more types of fish I can catch,the more fun it will be.My pond isn't very big so I don't want to waste my bio space with poor doing fish.Not that I'll loose sleep if it doesn't work out the way I want it to,but figure I should at least try not to screw things up.lol!


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