i have a few questions
how could you manage black crappie in a 3/4 acre pond?
the pond already has a good bluegill population as well as small 6-8 inch bass
i am thinking of stocking 2-3 inch crappie in the fall would a
6-8 inch bass be able to eat them
if so how many should i stock
I know you really want a crappie pond. But . . .
I don't think that many 2-3 inch crappie would survive if you have 6-8 inch bass. And that gets to the point of how many. I'd say, it would have to be in very high numbers, probably in the very high hundreds or thousands, if just a few were to survive long enough to successfully spawn. I doubt this size crappie would spawn next spring. It would probably be at least the following spring before they would spawn.
It would be better to try and segregate the crappie from the rest of the pond until they could grow to at least twice that size.
The real problem is that they are so unpredictable, and they are both a predator and forage. They can really unbalance a pond.
Because of my pond's profile favoring big bluegill, my crappie are kept under reasonable control. We only catch about 15 per year. They are generally between 12 and 15 inches, but their fillets are paper thin. I've got a gazillion hungry bass, a fair number of large wide-mouth channel and white catfish, and I put very hungry trout in the pond during the winter.
I know I'm not very encouraging. There are always surprises and exceptions -- sometimes good, sometimes a little less than good.
At least for me, I sure prefer my thick bluegill, my overweight red eared sunfish, the feisty winter trout, the underweight bass, and my up-and-down population of put-and-take catfish. They all provide great fun for four generations of family, plus many very fine meals.
Unfortunately, I would restrict crappie -- black or white, to large public waters where they can thrive and be controlled by many other predators.
There are many of us who would really love to have a fantastic crappie pond. We just haven't found the secret.
Good luck,
Ken
