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Joined: Jun 2022
Posts: 6
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Joined: Jun 2022
Posts: 6 |
I stocked my new pond this past May with 250 Channel Cat, 500 Coppernose Bream and 250 Bass. I began feeding almost immediately after stocking took place. I set my feeder to go off once each day so until recently I wasn’t paying much attention to any activity that may have occurred when the feeder went off.
About two weeks ago I decided to hand toss some feed in and when I did the water erupted with feeding fish. However, the closer I looked, they were all catfish, close to six inches in length. Since then I’ve continued hand feeding but have yet to see any bream or bass
Do you think I lost all the bream and bass, or am I just not seeing them feed on the surface?
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Joined: Nov 2023
Posts: 622 Likes: 186
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Joined: Nov 2023
Posts: 622 Likes: 186 |
How big is the pond/lake?
What size fish did you stock?
1.5acre LMB, YP, BG, RES, GSH, Seasonal Tilapia
I subscribe to Pond Boss Magazine
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Joined: Jun 2022
Posts: 6
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Joined: Jun 2022
Posts: 6 |
Just a tad over one acre
The fish were all approximately three inches long.
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Joined: Nov 2023
Posts: 622 Likes: 186
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Joined: Nov 2023
Posts: 622 Likes: 186 |
You stocked all that at the same time? Any other forage fish or were there any forage fish already in the pond?
1.5acre LMB, YP, BG, RES, GSH, Seasonal Tilapia
I subscribe to Pond Boss Magazine
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Joined: May 2004
Posts: 14,675 Likes: 509
Moderator Lunker
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Moderator Lunker
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 14,675 Likes: 509 |
Have you done any fishing? Any seining? All you know for sure is that 250 CC in 1 acre can monopolize all the feed.
"Live like you'll die tomorrow, but manage your grass like you'll live forever." -S. M. Stirling ![[Linked Image from i.pinimg.com]](https://i.pinimg.com/736x/ed/b5/e7/edb5e7f935843b996cf52be593c9ebd2--smoothie-smooth-collie.jpg)
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Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 16,555 Likes: 411
Moderator Lunker
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Moderator Lunker
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 16,555 Likes: 411 |
I prefer to stagger the stocking vs doing it all at one time. Stock forage first, feed them, and when they have had plenty of time to spawn (maybe a year) stock predators. There’s a good chance that you ran out of groceries for the bigger fish to feed on.
My plan for a new pond: 10 pounds of fathead minnows and a like amount of 1.5 to 2 inch bluegills per acre. Feed them small pellets. After a year, stock predators(bass) of about 3 to 4 inches of length. If wanted, you can also stock small catfish of the same size as the bass. The fatheads will be gone after the first year but they will accomplished their job of feeding small fish to become the new basis of the food chain.
Unlikely that the cats will pull off a successful spawn. They are slow, go everywhere as a spawn and are easy groceries for everything else.
In a properly balanced pond, the fatheads will be eliminated in a year but will have accomplished their/your purpose.
It's not about the fish. It's about the pond. Take care of the pond and the fish will be fine. PB subscriber since before it was in color.
Without a sense of urgency, Nothing ever gets done.
Boy, if I say "sic em", you'd better look for something to bite. Sam Shelley Rancher and Farmer Muleshoe Texas 1892-1985 RIP Grandpa
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