Originally Posted By: esshup
Think about fishing for crappie. Do you want to present the bait to them above them, at the same level or below them?

That will give you an indicator of what type of forage to stock, i.e. the forage should inhabit an area that is common to the feeding habits of crappie.

With a single species pond, you are the apex predator and will have to remove a LOT of crappie just to keep enough forage in there for the remainders to grow. Not just removing large Crappie, but of all sizes. The less mouths to feed, the larger (and faster) the survivors will grow.

I would minimize spawning habitat for Crappie and concentrate on making spawning and hiding cover for the various types of forage fish in the pond.

Yes, I agree, the more diversified the forage base, the better off you will be.


Thanks, good thinking! May I ask how one can minimize crappie spawning habitat? What differentiates their spawning habitat from the usual refuges of fathead minnows and other forage species?