Canyoncreek - Here is my take on the Spotfins (SFS) and Lake Chubsuckers(LCS). Spotfins can be very beneficial in the "right" fishery combination. I have been working with them for over 20 years. They have a very good purpose with the right predator specie or in some low density predator populations with good habitat. The right specie for the right purpose. Basically no fish suppliers sell them due to lack of availability, low demand, low profit margin compared to the famous high profit fathead minnow and they would have to grow their own supply. Most farms just buy their fish from big efficient producing suppliers - easy, quick, high profits. There is one SFS supplier in Northwest Ohio that grows SFS however he has trouble producing large crops of SFS due invasions of green sunfish. Reproducing GSF can decimate YOY minnows in a minnow / shiner production pond.
The same basic consensus applies to the lake chubsucker. It is a very good soft fin large forage specie for fisheries with larger predators. However, I am not sure of how prolific the chubsucker is for commercial production compared to other good forage fish and how easy it is to produce large numbers of them for a profit. Overton fisheries tried one year producing lake chubsucker. Todd had a hard time collecting the YOY in traps. Several PBoss Forum members bought some of the Overton LCS production. My individuals never seemed to thrive where I stocked the representatives. Aquatic Environmental Services have several or maybe numerous clients that have LCS in their ponds. AES IMO has never regularly offered LCS for sale. AES has to my knowledge never tried growing LCS as a production forage fish. Contact G.Grimes (AES at https://lakework.com) for his opinions about LCS and he as a PB Forum member might respond to your PB Forum query. AES does sell gold fish and crayfish as forage items. https://lakework.com/services/fishery-management-services/fish-stocking Gizzard shad are a very good substitute for larger sizes of soft fin forages are popular and a risky forage fish for fisheries with large bass.
Last edited by Bill Cody; 05/20/2603:14 PM.
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