Pond Boss Forums STOCKING A NEW POND Raising Forage and Bait Minnow Cage I made

If you feed the shiners ground or crushed fish food they will survive a lot better assuming they are in good condition when placed in the cage. Maybe feed the every 2-3 days or 4-7 days to keep them alive and reduce chances of lots of FA on the cage walls. Consider cutting a round or square hole in the lid and covering it with 1/2" or larger mesh so food can be added easily. You should be able to easily hold 8 to 10 dozen shiners in there for two months assuming some are removed on a regular basis. In the right conditions and smaller sized shiner, you might be able hold initially around 200, but start with abt 100 to learn the process. Be aware that FA could grow on the cage walls and will need to be scrubbed off with a stiff brush or stiff bristle small broom such as used to apply tar to roofs. I think it will be a good idea to float the cage off the dock in deeper water than 18"-28". I have several times held several minnow - shiner combinations in a larger cage (28" dia X 3ft deep) cage all summer.