Pond Boss Forums Thread Like Summary - SMB - Increasing Spawning & Recruitment Success

I recently read a Bill Cody comment about the difficulties in having dependable spawning of SMB in small ponds to produce abundant young of year (YOY). I have also read some older threads that it seems to be more difficult to have dependable recruitment of SMB moving to bigger/older fish compared to LMB.

Further, I recall many threads about ensuring adequate spawning beds for BG, but only recall one recent thread about spawning habitat for SMB. (And I can't find that thread.)

Questions for the forum (considering we have so many members that have expressed a desire to increase their SMB populations):

Any advice for increasing the spawning success rate for SMB in ponds or small lakes?

Any advice for advancing SMB fry to healthy, adult, reproducing fish?

FishinRod asks
Answer Habitat, Habitat. and more Habitat. Fry are not going to survive if they get eaten. Fry are very dark colored, sometimes called black fry, and move around as a school or group, easily spotted as something delicious to eat. Mortality is very high at this time. All types of sunfishes esp BG love to eat SMB fry. Just one marauding BG was reported to eat 39 fry. After around 4 days the black gradually disappears. One SMB nest full of hatchlings will provide lots of fingerlings if all survive long enough to grow to that 3" length which should happen by late September. I would start by placing lots of habitat not next to SMB nest sites but around long stretches of shoreline beginning 5ft-10ft away from the nest sites. Adding tree tops with butts on the bank for easy removal to see if this method is useful. We have found that long shorelines with big rock of the 8"-16" sizes result good SMB survial.

See this from the archives - lots of SMB info.

https://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=103428#Post103428

Entire thread on SMB beds

https://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=92626#Post92626

Here is an old thread that likely answers your questions

https://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=66685&page=1

I make ones like the last pictures in this link and they work. https://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=92626#Post92626

Now once they are hatched, having the correct food in the pond is critical. You want visibility from a phytoplankton bloom (NOT clay turbidity) to be 18:-24" or so. Maybe as low as 12" but that's pushing it.

Fertilizing northern ponds can be very risky business due to too much plankton being present under ice and snow cover that results in unnecessary winterkill. It is not always best to have too much of a good thing. IMO plenty of SMB offspring can be produced even in clear water to replace natural mortality if PROPER habitat is present.

No LMB in my pond. SMB, YP, HSB, RES, HBG, WE (removing), GSH. I have a "shelf" on the south bank that has five beds. Placed significant amounts of rocky structure, and created a sort of "highway" towards shallower, weedier waters. Was hoping this would encourage recruitment. Still trying to get vegetation established though.

As goes the habitat - so goes the fishery. If you are not happy with fishery status look closer about adjusting the type and abundance of habitat.