Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Crappie vs fatheads

There are 2 bodies of water joined by a small overflow pipe from the first to the second. They are spring fed and maintain a consistent water level - very little fluctuation in depth. The smaller pond is about 3/4 of an acre and the larger is 2.5-3 acres. The larger pond has a lot of sediment building and there is a lot of cover in it. (stumps, fallen trees, etc.) He also has 3 giant Triploid grass carp that I see in there occassionally that must be 3 1/2 feet long. Last weekend I saw one of them at the surface struggling a bit to swim and it had a twist or hump to its spine. Didn't look too good.

We rarely catch small bluegill or crappie, but do catch some stunted bass, which I just started removing.

As I reflect on this string, perhaps the experts can weigh in on this hypothesis... Is it possible that the spring fed aspect of the pond allows them to grow larger more readily? In addition to the inflow of nutrients, I have heard that fish are stunted from overcrowded conditions with or without feed sources?

The biggest challenge with crappies is the feast or famine spawning they pull off. It's not reliable like BG spawning is. I wouldn't want to base my forage base off a species that may only pull off a good spawn every 3 or 4 years.

Dave, what is the worst thing that could happen?

It might get all messed up and you would have to start over by rotenoning. In the interim you might have a lot of fun.

Cap1, that sounds neat. Please PM me with the exact GPS coordinates of that stump.