You get the male bgill articles by buying the 3 back issues of Pond Boss Mag (Mar-Apr, May-Jun, Jul-Aug 2006). The articles are quite detailed and cover practically all the necessary aspects of choosing identifying, choosing good stock, growing and managing for large male BG. Rarely will you find a hatchery that will select just the males for you. Most hatcheries do not sell large enough BG to accurately determine the sex. Usually one has to select their male BG stockers from fishing trips to other waters. Obviously correctly determining the sex is very important. Make mistakes and the project fails. The male BG can be added any time from day one to 6-10 yrs later. I suggest adding just a few (4-10) each year.
In MI you could have a hard time locating shiners - golden shiners. In your readings I mention the use of bluntnose minnows with perch and SMB. Practically no one sells them, although they are great in SMB-YP ponds that have some refugia such as your marsh-wetland. A trip to see me in spring will get you enough breeder bluntnose minnows to get you started. It will not take very many 50-100.
Homework now will locate hatcheries that at least try to sell SMB fingerlings. Having SMB fingerlings every fall is a big challenge for some growners. Larger juvenile SMB (4"-10") are rare as hen's teeth and pretty expensive. Basically SMB fingerlings are only available in fall. Just about everyone sells all their production of SMB fingerlings in the fall and very very few to almost always none are available anywhere in the US for spring sales. If you find them in spring they are premium priced.
Last edited by Bill Cody; 12/15/07 11:34 PM.
