Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Corrective stocking Very dumb Stocking question

If I stock a bag of fish that I want to survive, is it best to release them shallow near cover, a little deeper near cover, or in open water? All the same spot, or vary it around the pond. I know this is a simple minded question, so I apologize.

Is the pond in question full of predators?
Most fish will do best if released in or near proper cover. Species also plays a part.

I'd release them near cover, but if you're that concerned about the release location survivability, it likely won't matter because they will get eaten in the near future..

No perfect answer. The predators also hang around structure. You will always lose some. When stocked, they go looking around to acquaint themselves to their new world. Some are always going to be eaten.

Yeah, outside of killing or removing all the predators, I don't see a way to ensure a high success rate. Hopefully some will survive though, all bass and bluegill fry aren't eaten.

What species and size of fish?

F1 bass. 2 inch

Yep. If you are paying for F1 bass, you definitely want to get your survival rate as high as possible!

Stupid answer from me: Maybe throw in a big supply of fathead minnows a few days before you introduce the bass?

My thinking is that your existing predators will be gorged on the 2" FHM and then allow your 2" F1 bass to acclimate and find cover before they become forage.

No idea if that is valid, maybe an expert will chime in.

Not a bad idea. I wonder if crawfish might work? Give them something to eat, and maybe distract them from minnows.

Lusk said years ago: of all the eggs ever laid, only a very small minority of them will get large enough to spawn. Why? They get eaten.

Understood, bit it's a bit of a defeatist attitude. If I don't mind spending a little dough, and I can raise the survival rate from 2% to 15%, it's a win.

I remember watching a couple of 2 inch bass that were next to each other.All at once, one of thems tail was sticking out of the other ones mouth.

Around here i can buy golden shiners for $20 per pound at the bait shop. Get a nice frabill cooler with aerator and dump them in together...you'll only suffer 1/2 the loss.

One year I dumped in 50 pounds of golden shiners at one time and it was a feeding frenzy as they went around the pond…. Don’t know how many survived

Read the threads on habituation of newly stocked fish. You can raise the survival rate of LMB from near 0 (5%) to around 75% +. The exact question has been covered extensively.


https://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthre...s=habituation&Search=true#Post536404

I'll look up the study. What was the exact method of habituation?

Blocking nets work and thick cover will also work (but not as well).