Hello and HELP!! - 03/08/06 04:26 AM
I am looking for forage to stock in my private pond in Western North Carolina. My pond is 20 acres and is 65 feet deep at the spillway and averages 40-50 feet through the middle.
The pond is now 5 years old and is stocked with smallmouth, largemouth, and rainbow trout. We also stocked bluegill as our main forage and they have done great.
The trout and largemouth have done very well in this pond. The problem I have is with the smallmouth. They winter in depths that apparantly have little to no food and they come up in the spring very thin and in overall poor shape. Towards fall they will be fat and happy again.
I have tried fatheads for 3 years in a row. They do not last more than a few weeks. They are hearded up by the smallmouth, gorged on by the largemouth, and sucked down by the bream.
I would like to try threadfin shad but have not had any luck finding a producer in my area. Does anyone have any ideas on what I can do??
The pond is now 5 years old and is stocked with smallmouth, largemouth, and rainbow trout. We also stocked bluegill as our main forage and they have done great.
The trout and largemouth have done very well in this pond. The problem I have is with the smallmouth. They winter in depths that apparantly have little to no food and they come up in the spring very thin and in overall poor shape. Towards fall they will be fat and happy again.
I have tried fatheads for 3 years in a row. They do not last more than a few weeks. They are hearded up by the smallmouth, gorged on by the largemouth, and sucked down by the bream.
I would like to try threadfin shad but have not had any luck finding a producer in my area. Does anyone have any ideas on what I can do??