Hi SPC - TJ here. Like Travis I want to sample my ponds this Spring prior to making another group order. Essentially I want to verify their survival prior to recommending them to anyone else. The good news is I collected many dozens last Autumn just running a net along the banks through aquatic vegetation - as per Bobad's advice. My hopes are high.

Dale Fattig can be reached on the resource page...or if you'd prefer we try to collect several orders at a time and place them together. At least in the past pricing has been contingent on quantity. Last year we were able to drive the price down to $.25/ea and it was a flat $30 shipping charge. It takes a while for Dale to get around to seining his ponds, so patience is a virtue, but I'm happy with my orders thus far - probably 2-3% morts, but we live in the same state [NE] so that might account for my low %.

Ric Swaim was in on one of our orders last year and received a significant % of morts - however Dale shipped another batch to him for free a couple weeks later. Seems the further East one goes, the longer the shipping time, the higher the risk of morts.

I'm happy to coordinate this order for everyone as Dale thanks me by waiving my shipping fee on my part of the order [$30]. I don't in any other manner profit from this, I just want to help my PB brethren.

In summary - I am going to sample my ponds as soon as my 18" ice melts and post my sampling research on the forum. Hopefully Travis and Ric are ahead of me a few weeks - I'm anxious to see their results, too. If they survival is high, and evidence of a spawn occuring, I think I'll be placing more orders as I want to construct a forage pond dedicated to raising them and helping out the forum with another [and cheaper] source. ;\)

TJ

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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