Same sex smaller Chain Pickerel could be beneficial in ponds especially if one needs selective or specialized predation of certain smaller species. CP are said to have little preference of forage items and they eat what is most abundant; often minnows, sunfishes and catfishes. Size of forage being the main limiting feature of what is eaten. One study found CP ate 37 different species of foods.
Always choosing the females for larger size may not always be the best approach depending on ones goals. Smaller male CP are be forced to eat smaller forage items compared to what sizes of foods the larger CP would often eat. If you wanted an emphasis of predation on for example smaller yellow perch of 3"-5" then smaller CP of 12"-16" would be more beneficial compared to larger 17"-24" CP that could consume 5"-7" maybe 8" YP. Scott & Crossman (Fishes of Canada) stated that larger CP usually have a direct size relation with fishes eaten. They note that most CP are 15"-18" long and maximum length is around 30" and 6 lbs. CP are tolerant of water temperature as high as 98F and are distributed primarily along the eastern and southern US from Canada to Texas.
Last edited by Bill Cody; 01/12/14 02:25 PM.
