When small bass and bluegills of the
same age were stocked simultaneously in
Alabama, balanced populations always
resulted. When this stocking strategy
was followed in the North, the result
nearly always was a stunted bluegill
population and a bass population
unable to spawn successfully. Research
at Cornell University showed that to
achieve successful bass-bluegill populations
in northern states, the initial
stocking must consist of bass that are at
least 1 year older than the bluegills. This
can be achieved by stocking yearling
bass 1 year ahead of yearling bluegills or
combining 2-year-old bass (over 6
inches) with yearling bluegills less than
2 inches long. Researchers currently
believe that the proper number of
fingerling fish to stock is 100 bass and
200 to 500 bluegills per surface acre.
That is what fisheries biologists recommend... If you stock it your way, please let us now how it turns out so we can all learn.
