Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Smallmouth expedition and planting

This is about the 10th roadblock I've encountered in my quest for 400 SMB. Someone, somewhere is telling me NOT to stock SMB. Too bad I don't listen very well. Time to hunker down and redouble my efforts to get creative.

Only 94.2 percent, cause he doesn't raise GSF.

Ah but I will add pumpkinseeds!

Keep your head up TJ. I ran into the same thing with brook trout. I finally found two sources albeit they are the only two sources in the country that do the testing required by my state for importation.

The first time I got brook trout I had to drive all the way to Virginia to get them. His testing (Castaline trout farms) is no longer good enough for importation into Indiana although his fish are as clean as they come. it's not the fish but the way the samples are taken. Luckily my latest source is within a couple of hours of me.

Frankly I'm puzzled by the requirement of testing for SVCV for fish other than carp. I'm also puzzled that you aren't allowed to collect broodfish from the wild. I thought the west was more hands off government than this.

The guy in charge confided in me that the latter rule was bad in that it encouraged fish farmers to import fish that were not endemic to your region. I.e. import largemouth bass that were native to Arkansas or some other state and sell the fish and offspring to pondowners in Nebraska. I think we all know you're better off using fish that are adapted to your region. However he was not able to get the powers to be to change the rule.

Cecil,
Beautiful fish!

I planted 125 3-4" SMB last fall and they are doing great, although my FHM are all but gone.

A certified source for SMB (southern Wisconsin) is:


Gollon Bait & Fish Farm
David Gollon, Jr
5117 Hwy 191
Dodgeville, WI 53533
Phone: 608-935-2098

Tim Gollon is in charge of the game fish. Great guy and a SMB lover.

Last fall I paid $1.50 each, although that is always subject to change and availability. They usually sell out every year so order early.

Tim may be able to arrange for the testing required by other states.

Of the 125 I planted (and 280 perch) not one was lost. SMB are now about 7-9". Not quite big enough to threaten the GSF yet, but, the GSF are very nervous when the SMB crash their feeding party.

Jeff,

Thanks for the info. Maybe it will help Teejay.

On another note I am little concerned. I put the smallies in the cage Saturday and as of today (Wednesday) not one has come up for a pellet. The pellets are semi sinking and they may be taking them on the way down, but I can't be sure due to my heavily dyed water. I'm going to try hydrated pellets and see if i can get them going. I should have some enthusiatic surface feeding as they did so the hatchery. I've always received outstanding fish from this source and I know they are feed trained.

One remote possibility is the thousands of fatheads I have in the pond are swimming into the cage and being eaten. That is the smallies prefer them over the pellets. However I would think I would get some pellet feeding.

If they don't respond in a day or two I may just liberate them into the pond. I don't really want to do that as I have some perch that are large enough to eat them. At $2.90 each they would be expensive snacks.

Gollon's SMB are raised on pellets but "weaned off?" to FHM about a month before stocking. Mine have no interest in pellets even if hydrated and coated with cod liver oil. Perch won't eat them either, but the GSF sure do. Toss a frog or worms in and the SMB will body slam through the GSF to win.
They have incredible eyesight! My water is so clear on a calm evening I can easily watch them down 6'. Toss pellets - no response, fling a worm and they are tracking it in flight and on it when it hits! Fun to watch them chase dragon flies too.

Gollons supplies fish including walleye for stocking in public bodies of water. My Indiana DNR purchased walleye from them. It's preferred they are not on pellets so they adapt better to a wild diet. At least that's the thinking.

I just hydrated some pellets and dropped them into the cage a few at a time. They're fairly visible and at least some of them seem to disappear about about a foot or two down as if they were inhaled. The water is so dark from the Aquashade it's possible they may not even see the floating pellets if they are in the bottom of the cage about four feet down.

I also have a theory that they are keyed in on sinking feed. The supplier sold me a bag of feed that was slightly larger than what he had been feeding them previously. (Silver Cup) He said it should not be too big. My guess is the previous smaller size was probably sinking. Since he has them in shallow tanks now they don't have to come up far for pellets either.