Pond Boss Forums STOCKING A NEW POND Types of fish to choose Gizzard Shad & RB Trout added to SC 4.5 acre pond

May have screwed up, but I just added 15 Gizzard Shad 4-8", and 24 RB Trout 8-16". All I was willing to spend at the bait shop. Cost me $125. Thinking: Brood stock GS to reproduce forage for LMB. Trout to feed and play with this Winter - I know they'll likely die in the late Spring, but just wanting some fly-fishing ultralight action between now and May.

You'll definitely have some fly action. They may survive spring depending how deep your pond is. Gizzard shad are a ton of fun when you snag one up at the end of your line.

Have fun!

RT will be good . GShad could be a problem.

I second ewest's comments. How big are the LMB in your pond?

12" +/-

I hope you don't have GS problems down the road. Usually you don't stock them until the LMB are about double that size.

Up here, the public lakes that have been bucket stocked with GS and don't have Muskies in them have seen a decrease in both BG and LMB fishing success (fish numbers and size). The LMB don't get lartge enough to eat the GS, and they begin to dominate the fishery. A local lake had a net survey done a few years ago and almost 60% of the total fish biomass was GS.

Whick lake was that Scott?

Koontz

The gizzard shad will have a head start on the fishery since the LMB are not really large enough to eat the larger g.shad of 8"-13". Advice here would have been as esshup says, wait until the LMB are 18"+ before adding G.shad. G.shad when abundant can be diffucult to remove esp in 4.5ac. IMO golden shiner whould have been a better forage species to stock at this time. Then when a larger forage species is needed the g.shad could be evaluated. IMO g.shad work best in only a few situations where trophy bass are the the main or primary goal.

The only silver lining that I see is that Rotenone is an option. GS are more susceptible to it than other species of fish, so you might be able to get a lethal dose of it in there for them and not harm the majority of the other fish. It'd be a thin line you'd be walking.

Too bad. When I was a biologist aid for a summer I remember gillnetting a lake that was loaded with large gizzard shad. I will tell you they get raunchy really quickly in warm water if die die in the gill net soon after it's set and you don't pull the next until the next day!

While gizzard shad can cause problems, the survival and subsequent reproduction potential could be limited. How fertile is your pond/do you fertilize? Many ponds in the Anderson area, due to topography, runoff,and/or adjacent streams experience high turn over or flow-through rates. Fertility level and obvious abundance of bass (that will readily consume a 4" gizzard shad) could reduce gizzard reproductive potential. You can always employ the rotenone to reduce/remove them next year. I'll bet at those bass/bluegill stocking rates young gizzards will have a tough life in your pond. The 6"+ gizzards will obviously be around awhile.

We do not fertilize and have a continual run out of water despite the drought conditions. The pond is fed from a natural spring about 1/2 mile upstream. I guess I can attempt to catch them with a light and a cast net or seine net if they start to take over. Deer hunting a couple of weeks ago, I watched an Otter upstream. Perhaps the Otter will consume the Gshad instead of my game fish since they're probably easier to catch (?)

IF you have an otter they may indeed wipe out all your fish, seeing that happen more and more frequently. Neat critters but don't mix if wanting to have a good fishing pond.

So I should have shot him while I watched him 45 min. THAT'S the big mistake here. Guess I know where I'll be "deer hunting" Sat a.m. Otherwise Mr. Otter will be taking care of my Gshad and everything else. Thanks Greg.

... it was an Otter,not a beaver like most of my buddies have accused me of :)I had never seen one in the wild before, but it was for sure an Otter - round tail, looking like a boa contstrictor slithering around in the headwater creek. When it sat upright on the bank a few times I would have had a perfect shot. Can I presume where there's 1 their's got to be more?

check local regulations or be discrete but yes ridding of him in some means is highly recommended.

Kiko, if you are not able to get a shot at him again. Locating likely areas of travel, like slides or bottlenecks and setting some 330, 280 or 220 conibears depending on the situation may be advisable. Otters are very transient and rarely stay in one place for long... Letting the traps soak, assures you a chance at killing him 24/7.