I like crappie. We have them in 3 oxbow lakes and they are the most fished and liked fish in these lakes. We also have 4 ponds one which we just bought has crappie and is a total mess for a number of reasons including crappie.

Crappie fecundity up to 188000 per yr. or more than twice the BG rate. Note in the article above the method requires 24 inches of clear water , weeds and over population of LMB. These are not what most southern pond owners want or have available. They compete with both LMB and BG. It takes a very good pond manager with an extensive effort to successfuly manage crappie in small ponds. That is why some very good fisheries scientists wrote the following in their pond mgt. books. Can it be done --yes-- but it takes a lot of know how , information and effort. One mistake and it is hard to recover absent starting over.

Managing Mississippi
Farm Ponds and Small Lakes

(Crappie are not recommended for impoundments less than 500 acres. Crappie should not be stocked into farm ponds because they tend to overpopulate, resulting in a pond full of stunted fish.)

http://msucares.com/pubs/publications/p1428.htm
Revised and coordinated by Martin W. Brunson, Ph.D., Extension Leader/Fisheries Specialist, Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, Mississippi State University; Dennis Riecke and Walter Hubbard, Fisheries Biologists, Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks. Additional contributions from the Natural Resources Conservation Service and David Franks, Ron Garavelli, A. Jack Herring, Tom Holman, Keith Meals, Fred Nazary, and John Skains, Fisheries Biologists, Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks.

Second edition published in 1991 as Managing Mississippi Farm Ponds. Revised by Martin W. Brunson, Ph.D., Extension Leader/Fisheries Specialist, Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, Mississippi State University; David Franks, Fisheries Biologist, Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks; and Harvey Huffstatler, Biologist, Soil Conservation Service.

Original edition published in 1984 as Farm Pond Management by Thomas L. Wellborn, Jr., Extension Wildlife and Fisheries, Mississippi State University Extension Service; A. Jack Herring, Chief of Fisheries, Mississippi Department of Wildlife Conservation; and Ramon Callahan, State Staff Biologist, Soil Conservation Service.

Management Of Recreational Fish Ponds In Alabama

Crappie (both black and white) may pose management problems in small ponds in that they overpopulate and stunt at sizes too small to be harvested. Under these conditions they compete with both bass and bream for food. Crappie can be stocked in larger farm ponds (greater than 25 acres), but only after the largemouth bass initially stocked have spawned several times. Also, largemouth bass harvest must be carefully controlled to ensure enough bass in the pond to control crappie numbers.

ANR-577, Reprinted June 1996. By Michael Masser Extension Fisheries Specialist, Associate Professor, Fisheries and Allied Aquaculture, Auburn University.

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