Pond Boss Forums STOCKING A NEW POND Types of fish to choose sac-a- lait ???

OK I have a 2 acre pond in Louisiana I know they say you're not supposed to put sac-a- lait in a pond smaller than 10 acres my question is when I was growing up we fished farm ponds all over that had them in it and I loved it, had nice size ones in it and it didn't seem to be a problem why now days you're not supposed to put sac-a- lait in a pond I know they say you can't control them and they over stock I guess I just don't understand why it wasn't a problem in the smaller farm ponds

It's not so much a case of it wasn't a problem back then, but rather you didn't fish a pond where it was a problem. Crappie are boom-or-bust spawners, and may go some seasons without pulling off a very successful spawn. This should not be taken as meaning that they never will. Sort of like betting that the upcoming winter will be mild, temperature wise, so there's no need to purchase a coat or lay in a supply of firewood.....you may be right, or you may wish you had prepared for the worst.

All it takes is for the conditions to be right, and they pull off a good spawn or two, and you could be looking at problems in the near future.

Recommending not to stock crappies in a smaller BOW is essentially preparing for the worst by not leaving the opportunity open.

Also, what we as adults think of as small fish, to kids they are monsters.

When you are stocking and managing your pond, you have to think long term, not 3-5 years. In the beginning, fish grow fast, but as the biomass in the pond grows, without good management practices, the fish won't get as large.

Spark and Esshup know a h*ll of a lot more about fish and ponds than I ever will. So I would definitely take their wisdom to heart!!!

FWIW- Here has been my experience with BCP in a 1 acre pond. They have been in there for, I think 9-10 years. For my goals, if I could go back in time, I would stock them again. In my BOW, we harvest to eat 100-200 BCP EVERY year(6"-10"). 6" get pickled and the rest filleted. We NEVER throw one back under 10". We also trap and feed the raccoons as many as I can catch 2" and smaller, EVRY year.

IMHO- BCP are a lot of EVERY year work.

I think adding them to a pond all depends on how much work you want to do every year. Once they are in there, you can't slack off managing the fish in there. If you're dedicated about managing the fish and have the time, go for it. If you are more of a stock and forget type, then I woudn't.

The pond is at my house and right now I love messing with it and I love catching crappie but I don't want to mess my pond up