Pond Boss Forums STOCKING A NEW POND Raising Forage and Bait Managing FHM's

Thanks again Jpsdad
Depending on how things go for me, I might try to drain and dig it out this fall or winter. So I probably won't do much until I figure out what I'm doing.
In the meantime I will learn more about the minnows, and mostly how to identify them. Then I'll start looking at some of my local creeks and ponds to see if I can spot any.

FH like to get under stuff.

I have been experimenting with feed trials on fathead minnows and other minnow species. Fish mature at about 2 months after fry hatch. The first clutch of eggs is small less than 50. The next spawn is usually 80-100 eggs. Male will guard the nest and protect the fry for about 2 days before abandoning the fry.




https://youtube.com/shorts/nqtEflCswjY?feature=share

https://youtube.com/shorts/ev321pVEzts?feature=share

FishinRod:

Up here, when the ponds get covered with ice the dense shallow water cover for the Fatheads is either frozen or the water is too cold for them. So they get evicted out of their safe haven and have to swim in more open water where the predators can more easily catch them. We can have 5 months of the year where the shallow water is too cold for the fish.

Thanks, esshup!

I assumed that was the case, but appreciate the clarification.

(I have "assumed" things incorrectly in the past - much to my detriment!)

I have that problem but during the dry season :P

While transferring some today I got to watch some LMB fingerlings hitting the newly stocked and dazed FHM. Now I'll want to keep transferring them just so I can watch.

A FHM has way more endurance than I ever thought. I just put my traps in again and one of them is a old time jug type. When I went to bait it I found a little FHM wiggling around in what couldn't of been more than a table spoon of water. It had been in there since I pulled the traps out yesterday. I would call that one tuff little minnow.