Originally Posted By: Bill Cody
I think 48 smallies in a 1/3 ac pond are too many. They will quickly over eat the food source unless you are using BG or another similar forage speices that requires a stronger predatory pressure. To keep smallies growing fast it is best to always have ample food available (for more info on this see Nov-Dec09 PBoss mag). If you are not using BG I suggest you reduce the total stocked initially to 20-30 which equates to 60-90 per acre. IMO if you are looking to grow trophy smallies and getting them big fairly fast, 90/ac is still a little on the high density side of numbers. Your first SMB spawn will result in capacity smallies for this pond. Greg Grimes had a very good presentation at the PB III Convention about this topic: "Stocking 10X Forage and Low density LMB". IMO His principles also apply to smallies.


Appreciate the info, Bill. My goal for this pond is to actually raise SMB, seine them out in Autumn, and provide them commercially. I'd like to then release the adults back into the reproduction pond for spawning the next year. Unfortunately, I JUST read Bob Lusk's article from a back issue [Nov/Dec 2005] "Hatchery Ponds: Tips how to decide to use small ponds for fish production", and I wish I would have come across this a long time ago.

Any suggestions on the number of adult SMB I should stock in this pond, considering my goal is reproduction? I realize my approach might be far oversimplified at this point, but there's still time to make corrections. Assuming I'll pull off a spawn next Spring, should I be concerned my adult SMB will eradicate the YOY before I have a chance to seine them in the Autumn? I'm open and grateful for any advice.

Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after. ~ Henry David Thoreau

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