Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations stocking

Hey,guys good to be back.My computers been down, well here is a question. I put my bg and fat head minnows in last april i saw lots of small fish but i think it was the minnows i saw a few of my bg sitting on nests but never saw what i thought was bg fri. I was concerned about putting my bass in this spring without being sure if bg are spawning,if i put them in this spring what month should i do it,im in ohio.

It would be wise to drag a small seine through the shallows late May to see if there are any small bluegill from last summer or fall spawns. If you find small bluegill, stock bass late May through June. If not, wait until October.

Would there be any specific reason why bg stocked in april would not have spawned by late fall?

I would think that bg stocked last spring/summer would hopefully spawn this coming spring/summer. I assume that is the thinking behind my states(Tennessee) pond stocking program. Tennessee will only provide bg in the fall(late Oct/early Nov), and then bass early the next summer(early June).

Hosty, immature bluegill fingerlings stocked in spring in Ohio don't necessarily reach sexual maturity their first year. If they don't, you won't have young of the year. That's important to know, so you can make the best decision about timing to stock bass. Too many big mouths feeding on an undeveloped food chain has consequences you might not see for several years. Better to know now and be proactive than learn later and be reactive.

We stocked 2-3 inch Bluegills and lesser numbers of 2-3 inch Redears in May of 2003. While there was some successful spawning in 2003, the numbers of 2003 YOY were much smaller than the 2004 class - probably way under 10% as many. This imperical Ohio data agrees with Bob Lusks' expert opinion. What was a surprise to me was that the redear seemed to spawn in late summer 2003, producing the largest 2003 YOY that I caught during 2004.

I think it is very likely that your BG will have a successful spawn this coming spring (and summer), which should provide plenty of forage for LMB introduced no later than this coming fall.

If I put my bass in this october how big should they be by may i dont plan to feed.