Sounds like to me maybe the U.S. should have dropped crappie on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. I jest.
I understand the reasoning why saying the words..."I want to put crappie in my pond" on here will get your mouth washed out with soap.
Most species of fish, that I am personally familiar with, all run the risk of overpopulating and stunting.
I have seen it personally with BG, BH, CC, LMB.....Maybe not as quickly, or to the degree as Crappie, but nonetheless.
When I say this, it is not meant to be derogatory to anyone. I have read alot of threads on here, and all very interesting and educational. When these crappie were stocked, it was P.P.B. (pre-pondboss).
In an old post, someone was discussing putting crappie in their pond. Areply was "some people have to learn by doing, and cant believe what they read"(something to that effect anyway.)
My reply...and I hope you understand...
I have seen pictures, videos, documentaries, about numerous things in nature. I have always dreamed of going on a road trip and driving through Monument Valley in Utah. Always dreamed of going to see the Grand Canyon.All my life I have wanted to see Yosemite, drive the Pacific Coast Highway in California, and see the Redwood Trees in Northern California.
I have seen many things on these attractions, and am actually going to go do all of this next month. Gotta see it.
Why do laundry? Your clothes will just get dirty again. Why get out of bed? Night will be here again soon.
Why dig a pond? It will just fill in again.
Anything in this life, that anyone chooses to do,if intended to have any kind of success, requires somekind of input.Air isnt even free, you have to work to get it in. Everything we do in this life is vanity.Read the Book of Ecclesiastes, and ponder.
Now enough of my inspirational thinking.....
Crappie in my opinion are some of the best eating fish, I have ever experienced. The pond in question, is in it's own draw, with no ponds downstream to infect with an unwanted problem species.
When the pond becomes unmanageable, it can be destroyed and started over. With a few gallons of gasoline, and my 6 pacer pumps out in the shed, this pond can be drained with minimal expense.If this crappie stocking can support 2-3 years of crappie eating, it will have been worth it.
I will have been able to do the following.
I will have fished on a BOW that did not require getting permission from my local, state or Federal government.
I was able to drink beer(and get slobbering drunk if I wanted, without the fear of DWI, or public intoxication), smoke cigarettes, speak with fowl language, relieve myself, without risking getting put on a sexual offenders list.
No game warden sitting by my pickup wanting to see my license,stamps, or creel.
I was actually able to catch a few crappie....
The experience of raising crappie was realized in a manner that was not just read about. "Well....so and so says.......do this or dont do that."
The pond has been sitting there vacant for approx. 18 years.So what was lost?
The cost of stocking the crappie fingerlings was approx. $60.
@mnfish. There has never been anything put in this pond but crappie. No FHM .Nothing. Those Crappie ate what God gave them. That's why I was so surprised they survived. let alone grew nicely.I dont believe their WR is premium, but every bit as good as anything I ever caught in public waters.
100 crappie were ordered from a fish days. I have no idea the real numbers that were stocked. All that were caught were released.
The reason I say they have spawned I have seen 3-4 smaller crappie, approx. 5-6" long. They may be runts, I just dont know 100%.
I see many references here to the Missouri Dept. of Conservation, and fish stocking strategies. My following statements are not meant to be in any way inflammatory to the MDC. I just call them out as they are considered a go to agency for information.And to show that opinions change over time, and not everything is chiseled in stone.
I was talking to my area Conserv. agent last fall. I had stocked WE and YP in my pond. She informed me I should have stocked white perch instead.Now, according to some of what I have read on here and other places, white perch are also considered a menace.
She also elaborated on the dept. WE stocking program, and it's birth. For years, she said it was the Dept's opinion that stocking WE in Missouri waters was a waste of time and effort. Wouldnt work. Well it just so happens that a person from the Northern states,whose passion was WE,joined the Conservation dept, , started the WE stocking program......and it has had some success.
So I guess the bottom line is this....nothing ventured nothing gained.
I understand and appreciate the caution that is conveyed in management matters. Not everyone has a small pond just laying around doing nothing. And many like me, are ignorant to many of the dynamics of a fishery and species involved.
So.... I now have a pond with Crappie in it.......
Last edited by JamesBryan; 04/27/12 08:38 PM.
