Originally Posted by ewest
Originally Posted by esshup
30:1 to 60:1 ratio between Bluegill and Bass, stock 500 Redear Sunfish per acre too, on top of the Bluegill numbers.

As for timing, stock the Golden Shiners asap, the BG/RES (at 2.5"-4") as early in the Spring as possible, and the LMB at 5" in late Spring , early Summer. You could wait until the Fall to stock the Bass too, but stock the bass at 5"-7" length to help ensure that you are getting the fast growing fish from that hatch vs. the left over runts. Stocking bass at that length will eliminate the BG from predating on the bass, which could happen if you stocked LMB that were only 2" long.

The 30/1 + numbers are based on stocking 2-3 inch fish BG and LMB. If you are going to stock 5-6 LMB then reduce the numbers to 35 per acre max. I would go even less if you are going to stock HSB. The real key for LMB population mgt on newly stocked ponds is the number that survive to year 1(or 2 up north depending on stocking time) and reproduce. If you stock larger fish (6 in.) then they will have a higher survival rate to year 1. All the data on stocking #s are based on small stockers (2-4 in. fish).

Correct.

Typically when you get a range of fish sizes from the supplier, the majority of the fish will be on the small side of the size range, that's just because how they are measured (by thickness not by length - there is a formula that determines how long a fish is in relationship to it's width). The reason why I said to stock that size LMB is because the fish are spawned in March to May. If you stock 2"-3" LMB in the Spring, most likely they are the runts that were from the previous year. The hatcheries that we deal with hatch bass in the early Spring and again in late Summer. (manipulating photoperiod and water temp to do so). You could stock 2"-3" LMB in the Fall, but then you'd really have to watch for predation from the BG if they grow the way they should if you are feeding them. By the late Summer, the 2.5"-4" BG would be 6"+.

If you stock 1"-2.5" BG in early Spring, then you could get away with stocking the 2"-3" LMB in mid Summer (That Springs crop), but I'd make sure you had a great population of Fatheads and Golden Shiners because that's what the LMB would be living on until the BG pulled off a spawn the next Spring. Those 150 LMB would eat 1,500# of minnows or more by the time the BG spawned the following Spring. I am more leery of stocking 2"-3" LMB in the late Summer or early Fall unless I know my fish supplier completely ran out of LMB fingerlings and this a new crop. I don't want to stock 2"-3" LMB in the Fall if they were hatched in the Spring - they should be 5"-7" by then if you want the faster growing fish which is the case in this instance.

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3/4 to 1 1/4 ac pond LMB, SMB, PS, BG, RES, CC, YP, Bardello BG, (RBT & Blue Tilapia - seasonal).