Pond Boss Forums STOCKING A NEW POND Creating the food chain Bluegill eating minnows

Just a quick question If I stock 500 3" bluegill will they eat my fathead minnows? I want a huge forage base of FHM but also want alot of bluegill. I started with 20lbs of FHM in a 3/4 acre pond this spring and was wondering i should put the bluegill in now or wait till early next spring

Are you planning on a feeding program aswell.

This is not a scientific answer, but I would say that the bluegill won't out-compete the FHM.

I started a new pond a little over a year ago with hybrid sunfish and fatheads. Three months later I added 4-inch channel catfish and more hybrid sunfish.

This spring, I had a zillion, or more, FHM in that pond. Since then, I've added more 2-3 inch hybrid bluegill and 4-8 inch channel catfish. I also added five 5-6 inch smallmouth bass. The FHM have disappeared from that pond -- unless I just cannot see them for some reason.

I have no positive evidence of what actually happened, but I assume the FHM became snacks for the catfish and smallmouth bass.

For me, that is OK. I want all recruitment in this put-and-take pond to be completely controlled.

Yes will be hand feeding them everyday. I just want everything to be timed right with the maxium results for the most fhm and Bluegill

Is anything else going to be stocked besides FHM and BG?

You added more than enough FHM to populate 3 0.75 ac ponds, and the 3" BG will eat very few FHM, thus by fall you will still have more than enough young FHM. Actually you may have too many young FHM in that they will not grow very fast due to too many minnows eating what minnows eat. I suggest that when you add the BG grind some fish food and feed the YOY minnows 1-3 cups of feed daily for improved growth rate and production.

When I first read the title, I thought cool! I would like to see a bunch of Bluegill Eating Minnow's myself

Yes eventually going to stock some SMB and LMB. I know the LMB will eventually takeover but thats ok. I have been feeding my minnows with ground up aquamax. It is working very well. I feed about one cup er day in the evening. I just don't think there is anyway to have to many fhm in a pond. Im just loading up the bait fish so the bass will load up on food.

Keep in mind that FHM are only good for efficiently growing bass or other predators to about 11"-13" long. Then they need a different food source to keep the growth rate going at optimum which is where your BG will be the backbone of the LMB fishery until the LMB get to 16"-18" then optimally they need an additional larger food source to maintain the strong growth curve which is where shad, trout, tilapia, small bass, lake chubsuckers, and a some other fishes are beneficial.

Yep totally agree Bill have to have a enourmous bg population for the main base. I have stocked some GSH and i have decided to put in 200 1 to 3" BG now and then 200 redear this fall and next spring 300 more bg to have to different sizes of bluegills and then throw in some small 6" bass next fall. Hopefully i will have a huge forage base. What are your thoughts Bill Cody

KS If your main interest is growing larger bass then you plan is sound. If your interest is primarily larger panfish then add the bass spring 2014 not fall.

Ok thanks Bill Cody my plan is raise large bass so i will stick with the plan.