I thought I did all my research and planning right. I had to drain my 9 acre pond to fix the dam in Dec '10, and I poisoned the remaining water/fish-containing holes with rotenone before it refilled. Then in Feb '11 I stocked CNBG and shellcracker and FH minnows at 1000/acre rate. In July '11, after the first BG spawn, I stocked F1 Tiger Bass fingerlings at 50/acre and threadfin shad. Now less than 2 years later, I am catching 2-2.5lb fat, healthy, aggressive bass. But, over the past few months I have also caught 100s of CRAPPIE!! The very fish I thought I had eliminated by poisoning before restocking my desired species. I planned my pond to be full of nothing but bass food, yet I find myself with a prolific competitor. There is nothing upstream of my pond for them to have come from. Friends have suggested that shore birds (I have 2 resident Blue Herons)introduced crappie eggs on their feet after visiting other area ponds. Really??!! What can I do short of poisoning the pond out again (didn't work the first time) and starting over? I have read that golden shiners, as fish egg eaters, can help keep crappie numbers in check (as well as help keep the bass from over-populating. I've started a war on crappie and invited my friends--all crappie caught, no matter how small, are not put back. Any other thoughts? Are golden shiners a good idea?
