Pond Boss Forums FISH & FISHING Show off your catch Nothing to show off as it seems to be a Crappie :(

Yes, it is BG being stocked. The BG/HBG/GSF in the pond now came from various ponds/lakes last year after the fish-kill. Before I knew any better. Does it appear the HBG in the photo may be pre-spawn? It seemed to have a pretty big belly.

That HBG looks like it has a high % of GSF in it to me. It does appear healthy though so that is nice. They are good eating as well and fun to catch.

They will feed like crazy too on the feed as I can tell the difference between the HBG, GSF, and BG as they feed. Especially early on when my water is usually not as murky.

I think with all the CC in my pond I may never see clear water again.

That looks like a pure GSF to me.

Could be a GSF. If a HBG it is likely not a female as a high % of them are males (90% +).

Thanks y'all and interesting debate, but the gape on that one was smaller than another one I caught and "beached" so the one in the photo I released.

I'm trying so hard to establish a good balance but really feel like I'm chasing my tail at times. But the upside is I'm having so much fun doing it with all I'm learning along the way.

When I'm telling my buddy "don't lay the fish on the dry dock, or be careful how you handle it, or careful not to break it's jaw", he either thinks I'm nuts or spending too much time on Pondboss.

Probably right on both accounts.

PB rocks!

Caught 19 more Crappie last night, nearly every cast I was pulling one in

That makes over 80 since Sunday. So I guess the good news is that I'm getting them out of there. The bad news is it doesn't matter where on the pond I'm fishing,,,,, they're there! I also caught one of the HSB stockers from Sept but that one was 8".

I don't know if there's a demand for BCP at 5-8" but it seems like I have a bumper-crop of them.

I know this may be a stretch, but if I were to collect & cage these would it be unwise to put them on Craigslist to see if there's any takers?

I wouldn't, you need an aquaculture license to sell fish in Nebraska. The state of Nebraska claims ownership of fish even in private ponds unless you have receipts proving that you purchased them, this also means they are subject to state bag and possession limits unless you can prove ownership. If it were me I would be having a fish fry every weekend or would use them to fertilize your garden.

Odds are even if you put them up free someone would complain to the NGPC.

That's all I needed to hear, thank you Shorty!

So long as the crappie don't leave your property I wouldn't worry about thinning their numbers down.

Just so you know I paid 60 cents per fish for the 500 3" to 5" BCP I received in April.

I do not sale my offshore fish fillets. However I can give them to a friend and it is not against the law for them to give me some gas money (even if they do not make the trip).

Caught & removed 30 more Crappie last night which puts me up to more than 100 since Sunday. Also caught 7 LMB and 2 HSB stockers from Sept., both species looking healthy but slow growth since stocking, I'm guessing due to lack of forage and being Fall when stocked.


Also stocked the 1500 3-5" BG yesterday, most ranging in the 5" range. At the advice of my stocker, we caged only about 500 in the 2 cages due to their size and the females ready to reproduce.

This BG, which I'm guessing is BG (not HBG or GSF) was also caught and appears pre-spawn? Hopefully there's more!



Encouraging news was my stocker's comments on the appearance of the overall BOW (color and clarity). And as it was his last stop of the day and me being full of questions, was in no hurry to leave. Great guy! We also headed out into the woods on a hunt for Morels but with our weather we're still a bit early, but he said with all our moisture they should be plentiful (I'm new at this but anxious for the first "morel hunt"). He said his sign is when the Lilacs begin to bloom and they haven't yet. I'll be watching for that!

PS - I hope I'm not just "taking up space" with my updates and if so, please let me know!

PB Rocks!

Yes, that is a northern strain BG....male.

Thanks Sprkplug!

Are you identifying that as male by the black spots on the scales?

In spawning colors. Nice fish.

Thanks Ewest, that's encouraging!

Crappie update; caught 72 on Saturday, 5 Sunday (and 28 LMB stockers) and 13 last night. That makes 182 Crappie caught since a week ago Sunday.

Hopefully their numbers are thinning!

And although I don't need one, it's just another excuse to spend more time on the pond

Just an update on the Crappie-culling, we've caught and pulled 291 since I started counting on the 28th of April (roughly 17 days). I normally go out in the morning for about 30 minutes and an hour or two each evening. And when possible, have others out to join. They're hitting on beetle-spins, tube-jigs, nightcrawlers and about anything else I throw at them.

I wish I would have gotten a picture on Sunday (Mother's day) where mom was chillaxing in the lawn chair, having more fun watching my 74 year old father (who's never done much cast-fishing) catching fish right and left, than he was catching them. But his giggles were priceless!

Nearing 300 on the Crappie in just over two weeks, I'm starting to wonder how many can seriously be in there! I'm hoping at some point the culling slows, telling me they're thinning out!

Have any of them been large enough to eat?

They would make some nice Bluecat bait for sure!

They're all about exactly the same size, as seen in the first posted photo. As just about any size can be fileted, they've mostly fed my critters in the woods and used as cut-bait for catfish.

If I had 300 all at once I would get an assembly line going to clean 'em but daily is just too much for too little reward (although I may be chastised by some for saying that ).