Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Pond Boss New venture

There is documented SAE reproduction but about as frequent as HSB or WE - I’d say chances are less than 1% if even that. While not triploid, reproduction would be an exceedingly rare occurrence, but a beneficial one.

Scott/all we have limited water and first year limited supply. Get on the list ASAP - K and I agree our PB family should get first shot.

FYI we are clear to move fish to NE, KS, CO, MO and OK currently. I’d like to work on IA, IN, IL, OH, TX and GA or as demand dictates. Fish and hatchery are all tested and ready to roll but each state could prove fussy. We are going to pursue the low hanging fruit and work on others that demand more navigating in coming years.

If one can justify a trip to NE or KS it makes things abundantly simpler for us, and significantly cheaper for the pond owner, too.

We do have an established stocking option to cover 2 common problems, one being distance and delivery charge, the other is predation. Neither can be controlled and I hope everyone understands that. Especially after spending 70k on a truck to pull a 20k trailer-both have tires and upkeep that has to be covered. The cost of delivery puts the fish on our responsibility to get them there, but it seems folks won't pay 2$/mile delivery but will pay 3$/mile to drive and get their fish.
The option is to stock 4 day old fry at 1200/ac which is derived from a state strategy that has proven very effective in recovering 15-30 recruits per year per acre, which 30 is the max number recommended for biannual stocking of a single year class or 15/ac for every year.
The stocking method has to be followed fairly closely as these fish are not just released off of the dock but has proven very effective in state stockings down to 3 acres.
I stocked 2 ponds in the Wichita area with fry at 1200/ac in 2023 and recapture this fall was 16"-18" fish-less than 2 yrs old. Numbers were a tad high in 1, about right in the other. These were 1/2ac and 1.75ac ponds.
For new ponds with no fish other than minnow forage present, I can't recommend SAE fry for first year stocking.. I'd go with intermediates @ 25-35/ac with the stocking of your normal predators and that number would change with consideration of the species being stocked.
There are a couple of situations that higher stocking rates would be recommended but that will be handled on a case by case basis and a good understanding of end goals.

Is that loaded or total miles? You might have to send TJ out here with some fish. LOL

Just a thought . Doesn't make the $'s work out , driving 200,300,or 500 miles to pick up fish , but here's my approach . Doesn't save any money , but the pay back for me is tremendous. I invite a Grandson to help me drive , every time I make a fish run . It's a chance to talk about nothing , to eat together without lots of extra ears , to laugh together , to problem solve together. Then occasionally to talk about something that is something , something important to him. The cost of the trip is well worth it , $2.00 or $3.00 per mile . Plus as a bonus , I get a load of free fish for the ponds , as a free benefit of the Road Trip. Just my approach of the cost of picking up fish.

Quality time is memorable and one cannot put a price on it. As Fishingadventure points out,, the time is much better when it is spent together with someone important to you rather than you doing it by yourself.

Can't beat those memories with Family!!!
I have priceless pictures with the Grandsons and Sons of us fishing. We have many memories that you can't put a monetary value on.
Like this picture, not my pond. My Grandson caught this catfish at a local creek. He said "PaPa, he had my pole bended all the way to the water" LOL

The state has stocked SAE in the Salt Plains Lake just a few miles from me for years. They do well in many environments.
Considering them as an option for my pond. Would be a great fish to provide some variety to the pond and assist with management!

Scott, that's loaded miles at 2$.. It's too cheap. I'll stay there for '25 but will have to go up a bit in '26.

Yes it is. Here is what I hear all the time. "Can you bring me 50?"

My last business , I ran 1 ton Sprinter Service Vans loaded . with drivers time , my cost running diesel , a tad over $2.00 per mile . Sold the business August 1, 2018. I'm sure with inflation my cost today would be $3.00 + per mile. Your cost , is real , Tags, Taxes, Insurance, Diesel, Food on Road, Tires, Oil Changes, Your Time , Etc , Etc, Etc. You have to add it to your Fish retail cost , or you have to charge realistic Mileage , one or the other. The driving gets old , if your not making decent wages while doing it. Hope it's very enjoyable, I'm looking forward to purchasing Fish on a regular basis.

You can only absorb so much if the mileage cost is put in the price of the fish. Here most fish sellers have a certain radius from "home" where fish are "X" price for fish with no delivery charge, AND they have a minimum order or a delivery charge applies. Locally now that minimum order is between $400 and $500 per order. Typically delivery fees for deliveries in excess of 50-75 miles from "home" run $3-$4/loaded mile, or that same mileage fee if the minimum order is not met. Live delivery is usually guaranteed up to "X" days after stocking if we deliver, guarantee is the property boundary if fish are picked up. I delivered fish with another re-seller to his customer. The customer wasn't home. Started stocking the fish in the pond, by the time they were all in the pond they were piping at the surface. ???? He called the customer. Turns out the owner killed ALL the algae & weeds in the pond a few days prior and the aeration system failed after that. I took an O2 reading and there was 2.0 mg/l at the surface, less the deeper I moved the probe. The young daughter was at home and she let us in the garage where the compressor was for the aeration system. Luckily we were able to get the system running. Some fish croaked, but not all.

You HAVE TO make money at it or the business won't be around for very long. There are a lot of hidden costs in moving fish. O2, chemicals, and the related air supply system. Air stones don't last forever. A good O2 meter isn't cheap either. Just think how many fish have to be sold to recoup a $20,000.00 investment and that is just for the hauling tanks/trailer. Cost of state permits, time spent in the office doing paperwork related to those permits, etc. Here we have to furnish the state a list of how many fish, of what species, went where. Roughly 20% of the time is spent not getting any income but just doing paperwork.

Typically when I pick up fish it's a 2 day, 1,500 - 1,800 mile round trip before any are delivered.

Exactly my point. I ran trucks , I never argue with a contractor about his mileage charge. My experience tells me , most are losing money on their vehicles.

Years ago, I did some consulting with some fisheries management guys.

At the heart of the matter was a common lack of understanding among many pond owners that using consulting services actually costs money; in other words, many people were not ready to open their wallets to get expert advice or services.

Another part of the problem is that some of these fisheries guys were one-man shops, or limited in resources. So, with little time to waste, one needed to filter through all the 'noise' and get to the customers who were willing/expecting to pay for goods and services.

For one businessman, the solution was to quickly 'qualify' the potential customer over the phone with some key questions, to determine if that potential customer would spend money or not.

One of the first questions to the caller was "Have you ever paid a lake, pond, or fisheries consultant before?" This worked very, very well for that businessman as it enabled him to quickly cease wasting time with someone who was not yet ready to purchase goods or services.

Sunil, I have had people want to order fish, and due to the distance and minuscule number of fish they wanted, balk at paying for delivery "That's too expensive". But when I say that they could drive to pick them up themselves, they also said "It costs too much to drive there to get them". So, I just look at it as people wanting something for nothing.

Yes, and you have to quickly dismiss those people, professionally, and clear the deck for people who will pay.

I've been prey to this as well.

I think a lot of consumers don’t really understand the costs to operate a business.

When I was self employed, I sometimes had to walk away from opportunities due to overhead.