I was doing more research of my own on the subject of clams as forage and in particular what do redears like to eat; when I came across an old post by Dr. Bruce titled: "Snails, Redears and Kingfishers" from 2004...
Attention Pondmeisters!...
I would appreciate any input I can get.
What do snails eat?
What type of water chemistry do snails like?
Can redears grow huge on just snails?
Has any pondmeister seen a really big redear that was caught from a small body of water?
Without an avian vector like Kingfishers, will snails still contribute to parasitic infections of fish?
Who's a good person to contact that might deliver (ship) me one to two thousand 1-inch redears next May or June?
Thanks in advance!!!!
By the way, my redears love the nightcrawlers that I've acquired. I just can't afford this strategy forever.
In it Cecil responded with:
Bruce,
Here is what I know, which is not much:
Snails eat algae, aquatic plants, bacteria, bottom detrius, etc. I have also seen them feeding on dead fish carcasses. Bill Cody should be able to back this up or correct me.
Not sure about water chemistry but I would assume they need calcium in the water to build their shells so it would seem hard water is a plus.
I would assume redears can grow huge on snails as it is a main part of their diet. I'm sure you know they have crusher teeth at the back of their buccal cavity to crush shells.
See this site for info on the relationship of the new world record redear and snails:
http://realindy.com/recordfish.htm From the above link, I read this, "Amos M. Gay and his new all-tackle world record redear sunfish (shellcracker) from Santee Cooper Diversional Canal, caught in August, 1998. The fish weighed 5 lbs. 7.5 ozs. and topped another fish from the same fishing hole by 3.5 ozs. The fishing hole where Gay caught this fish has produced at least three redear over 5 lbs. It is located where the canal meets Lake Moultrie. The area was intensively sprayed to remove vegetation, and the resulting bare bottom became the perfect home for an unnamed species of Asiatic shellfish. The shellfish are, of course, dinner for shellcrackers, and redear feeding in this area experience phenomenal growth and weight gain. If the shellfish are the infamous zebra mussels, redear appear to offer a perfect solution to control. Reduced zebra mussel expansion and big redear in one package!"
Further research found that it was not the zebra mussel the writer was referring to as they are not found in South Carolina nor are they of Asiatic origin, but rather the Asian clam, the species I mentioned in my original post. So it would appear Asian clams are a highly preferred food source for RES, allowing them to grow to record sizes.
Perhaps knowing the downsides to this species and keeping them in mind, stocking these clams may in fact be a way to grow very big RES! Bruce, perhaps if you are still looking for a food source for your RES, this may be it?
