Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Raising fish in cages

A year ago my son started raising channel cats in 36in. dia. by 4 foot plastic mesh cages. We started in early April with (100) 3-5 inch and we ended the year in mid October with (87) .75-1.25 lb. I also raised about (150) 2-4 in. Hybrid Bluegill in another cage with some succes. Although I only lost a few b-gill the growth on them was erratic, I still have some at 4 in. while others are at 7-9 in. My question is does anyone else experiment with this hobby? I'm thinking of trying shellcrackers this year but I'm worried they won't take commercial food.

I do this about every year with feed trained largemouth bass to get them to a size where they will not be forage for the larger bass in my pond when I liberate them into the pond. I put 5 to 7 inch largermouths in the cage in spring and they are a good 10 to 12 inches in a few months.

I use larger cages though of about 7 feet by 7 feet by 4 feet deep for 100 bass. I have a market for larger bass and sell them on a regular basis. See author's homepage.
I experimented with feed trained crappies in a cage last year with little success.

As far as hybrids that does not surprise me that the growth is erractic. I'm not impressed with hybrids and I would not have them in my pond. I would try regular bluegills, and you will probably find more uniform growth, or you could do some grading at some point as fish do have a pecking order like chickens.

Redear allegedly do not take commercial feed as you allude to but there may be exceptions.

I've never believed that you couldn't raise shellcrackers in a cage. After all, hatcheries must be feeding them and it must be commercial food.

Cecil, I was wandering if you are aerating your cages, and with what. My pond (1 acre) is aerated 24/7 although my cages are located about 25yds. from the bubbles, I wonder if aerating directly in the cage would be better. The netting I used has 1/2 in. holes and I'm woried about the circulation of fresh water through the cage. With water temps. warming I plan on raising the cages to the surface this weekend.

Davidson belive it or not, when I buy 4 inch shellcracker (hard to find that big) I have been told they are 3 years old. I have spoke with probably 5 hatcheries about this and they all say they will not take food and that along with once per year repro is why they are more costly than bluegill. D.Miller if you get them to take feed please let us know I would love to do the same thing but have listened the the "experts" about lack of feeding.

No, I do not aerate my cages but they are set up over fairly deep water and my pond is out in the open for good wind coverage. I have pulled my cages over a diffuser bubbler to clean the bottom, but it seem to stress the fish. They stop feeding for a while. I think the ultimate setup would be to have them near enough to the bubbler to allow some water movement through but not right on top of the bubbler.

I have my cages near my 70 ft. pier and once a week go down each side with a stiff push broom to clear off the algae. The pier really makes it nice. I had one producer tell me of someone using an airlift to create movement in cages to reduce the algae growth.

I sink my cages in the off season for fish structure )mark them with a nylon rope with a jug tied to it), and then bring them up just before I need them. They are not unsightly laying on the bottom, serve a purpose, and there is less UV damage underwater. Is that what you do?

Dave,

I don't know of any hatcheries that have feed trained shellcrakers (redears). They grow out the shellcrackers in fertilized ponds on natural feed. A shellcracker from my experience is more carnivorous than bluegills and after all is a different species than a bluegill.

Seems odd that bass can be feed trained and not shellcrackers but apparently it's true.

Cecil, Greg, and others. I had no idea that any fish were commercially raised on anything but feed; starting with dust size and then graduating up. They are different. That may be why 2 to 3 inch ones didn't 'take'. I may have put them into my water before the water had enough little bugs and other stuff to support them.

Actually some growers feed train tiger muskies but I'm not sure about regular muskies. However, from what I've heard survival after stocking is lower for feed trained muskies.

Thanks for the input Cecil, as for the my question about the shellcrackers I didn't want to throw the 2-4" fish in my pond to see them later be eaten. The hybrids are going to stay in my cage until they reach the dinner table. The catfish is a 4-H project for my son and they will be sold in the fall for stocking or dinner.