[QB]
I'm forming the opinion that the chances of success with crappie are much better if the pond is a crappie pond and not a LMB pond with crappie or a diverse multifish pond with crappie.
[QB]
ML, our 2 acre pond shows just the opposite. LMB are abundant, you can catch 5-8 per hour on average with artificials, maybe more. Catfish are present but probably not much of a factor, then there's the mighty BGILL !!! The over abundance of Bgill completely snuffs out the crappie. I need the Bgill to control the crappie fry, and the LMB to work the bgill. The key is the base...try to start with overcrowding the bgill. Once that's done, stock your crappie...the LMB eat the 2-4" bgill first, and most of the 2-4" crappie mature. There's not a fry that stands a chance. It's easy to manage if you know your bgill. I do not see diversity as a problem.
Note: This may all come back to feeding...there are no easy meals in our ponds. Sure, we'll take a coffee can full of food down to the cats from time to time...but bgill stop crappie reproduction and rob the LMB nests for a nice balance. I do not care if bgill stunt...but they haven't, I have a friend/neighbor who's allowed to take 40-60 bgill adults annually, he fries them whole and is welcome to them ! Twice a year we take out large quantities of LMB (25 or so)...from 1/2 lb to 5 lb. depending on the quality of fishing. In our 2 acre pond, you can walk 30-50% of the bank and see bgill spawning beds in the Spring.
