Pond Boss Forums STOCKING A NEW POND Types of fish to choose Smart fish farm In Kentucky advice please

Sounds good. Thanks rainman

Rex, you mean ones that look like this?

Scott, that's a real pretty picture of a very "clean" fish!! Cool. Also a great image of the rounded anal fin.

Thanks Dave. That fish was tagged and put back in the pond. (numbered floy tags from Greg Grimes) There should be 4 of those "submarines" swimming around. The rest of the CC are 5# and under.

The most common hybrid bluegill is crossed with the green sunfish. A redear cross would be labeled as such and worth more as they're far superior in beauty and size. With Hybrid Bluegill/Greenies you're basically stocking fish that are half green sunfish. Eventually some of the offspring will resemble green sunfish more than bluegill.

I didn't say they didn't have a purpose either. The do have bigger mouths than bluegill.

And are more aggressive than either BG or GSF - that is the main value as a put and take fishery (a/k/a a kids pond). There are 2 HBG and as best we can tell they are different - mBG X fGSF and the reciprocal cross mGSF X fBG. See this thread -- HBG pic/question - http://www.pondboss.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Main=1341&Number=14459#Post14459


BTW Bill is working on a HBG archive.

Allchca:
I didn't intend for my post to come across as a personal attack on you. I apologize to you and the membership if it was interpreted as such. You have to remember that the general public visits this forum looking for answers, and I feel they deserve to hear the facts from both sides of a particular subject. The key word here being facts, not opinions, or unsupported guesswork. There are times when an honest guess is the best I have to offer. I'm not nearly as knowledgeable as a lot of folks on here. When that happens, I try to be sure and label my response as such: a guess, or opinion, not to be taken as an absolute fact. While I am a supporter of HBG when stocked in the appropriate environment, you may be surprised to learn that although I have 6 ponds, only 1 has HBG in it. The rest have northern strain BG and RES. I eat, sleep, and breathe trying to learn everything I can that has to do with BG, ALL variations of BG.
I am a relative newcomer to the PB forum, so I have had to spend countless hours delving into the archives reading about BG and HBG. I honestly think I have read everything here that pertains to these fish. Along the way I've figured out a few things.
Inquiries regarding HBG are one of the most common items posted here. They can also be one of the most likely to be, shall we say, tiptoed around? This is in no way meant as a criticism to anyone. I'm sure that the mods and the senior members of the forum all groan in unison over the same questions arising over and over. Perhaps a more user-friendly search function, or a commonly asked questions area that is species specific would help alleviate some of the repitiveness.
Then you have the personal aspect. unfortunately, it appears in years' past that there was some bad blood involving a variant of HBG. Suffice to say there were casualties on both sides. Understandably, this is not an area that most senior members wish to re-visit.
I would hazard a guess that most BG enthusiasts' begin their journey with HBG. Whether or not they look back on it as a neccessary evil that they forced themselves to endure, or merely a simple rite of passage, is a question that only they can answer.
If I am in my HBG "phase", then I welcome it. I haven't put the time in that others before me have, so I have yet to earn my answers. I am looking forward to the process.
This much I do know. A HBG is most certainly not the miracle sunfish that it is sometimes portrayed to be. It has issues that limit it's applications, and a wise pondmeister will pay heed to these shortcomings. However, it doesn't have to be some type of evil, finned genie, who when released from it's lamp will lay waste to your water.
I hope I haven't opened Pandora's box here today, I know I've typed a similar message many times before and always deleted it. If I have crossed the line, please take any action you deem appropriate, and accept my apology.

Tony

All the species have a use and place in ponds, it all comes down to what each pond situation is and the goals of the owners. The more I've learned, the more I see "facts" only apply in labaratories and specific settings...when it comes to the pond itself, it all seems to come down to making the best educated guess we can based on a multitude of experiences, but it's still a guess nonetheless.

Edit...Personally, I think tilapia are the best fish too stock!

They are difficult to entice onto a hook thru the ice tho.....

I stocked either 50 or 100 HNG in my pond in the Spring of 2008. Only one Northern Strain BG died during the renovation, and I've only caught about 10 of the HBG's. Dunno where the rest of them went. Some of the BG in the pond are pushing 10" and I know at least one that is larger than that.

Sprkplug nice post. I did not see any problem. No problem discussing HBG here. HBG questions come up a lot and that is why Bill is working on an archive. If you are interested in BG you might check the American Fisheries Society books section as they have an excellent book on BG. It is absolutely full of info on every aspect of BG.

http://www.afsbooks.org/55054P?keyword=bluegill&category_id=0

thats is one fat cat!

Yes it is, but I caught one in 2009 that was even chunkier. The one pictured above was 29.5" and 15.94# (WR 127), the one in 2009 was 29" and 14.8# (WR 140). The one in 2009 was caught 5/15/2009 on a floating Original Rapala F09 Silver/Black on 4# test. It hit the lure in 3'-4' of water and I thought it was a large LMB at first, but was puzzled why it didn't jump.

Both CC are back in the pond swimming around, and tagged with a numbered floy tag to check their growth if ever caught again.

There's no problem here Sprkplug, not how I see it. I only wanted it to be known that HBG are green sunfish hybrids. There should be some due caution when stocking them just like Crappie/Perch or anything with a remote chance of getting out of control. But they do serve a purpose. Heck some people here are big fans of Green sunfish .

Hopefully we can be friends and get along.

All good on my end Allchca. Heck, I've even got friends who have the audacity to suggest that LMB are sporting fish in their own right. Poor misguided souls. Don't they know that LMB are just a management tool, to be used to enhance the BG fishery? I'm trying to educate them, but I fear it's an uphill battle.....