Hi New 1.25 acre pond will be stocked this April with 3000 fingerling bluegill along with a few redear and fatheads. 2in tiger bass will go in this June. Becuase these bluegill will not spawn this summer do I need to stock more bluegill this fall? I want to make sure I maximize bass growth for the first year. Hatchery told me the bluegill will grow to the same length as the bass by this fall so obviously the bass can't eat them yet. Should i put in additional 1-3in blugill this fall?

Who told you the BG wont spawn this summer? I put mine in as fingerlings three yrs ago, none over 3 inches long and they were spawning three weeks later, actually my supplier was helping me to get them into the water before they spawn, he was right.

If you are right that the bluegill will not spawn this summer, although i suspect you are either far north, or incorrect, you probably shouldn't stock the bass until after at least a couple of spawns.

American Sportfish told me they wouldn't spawn at the 1-3in size. He reccomended the 1-3in size because of the possiblity of fingerling bass being eaten if I stocked larger bluegill. I was skeptical of his claim of them not spawning at that size. Sounds like they will based off of what you guys said. @Bing definately want to get bass in this summer so I'll stock larger sizes if that what it takes to get a spawn. @gehajake was the spawn of those small bluegill significant enough to feed bass?

Barrucuda,

Do you have any prepared habitat for BG spawns that has good visibility?

If not, you might place some suitable material for the BG in locations where you would be able to observe spawning. See how they do, and THEN decide what stocking plans you need to implement this fall.

An adult BG will likely have trouble swallowing anything bigger than a FHM, and they only get those because Fatheads are slow. (In my studies the BG consume FHM faster than Gambusia, even though the Gams are smaller - but fast.) I think 2" LMB are probably safe from medium-sized BG if you stock them both this year.

@fishinRod

We just have large clumps of cedar trees in semi-deep to deep water. When you say habitat do you mean spawn habitat such as gravel?

@Theo Gallus
interesting I had the same thought, becuase I want to stock some 3-6 in bluegill so I can get a spawn this summer. Good to hear most fo the 2in bass should be fine if i choose to go that way

Sorry - yes I meant spawning habitat.

There are many posters on Pond Boss that observe the multiple BG spawns in their ponds each year. If you still have the time, put in some spawning habitat near the dock or shorelines that you frequent. You should notice when they fan out their depressions, and then you can start looking for the actual fish.

If you don't have much spawning habitat available now, then any that you can install will definitely be a hot property!

I wouldn’t mess with the1 to 3 inch bass at this time. The mortality rate from handling and new environment can be pretty rough on tiny fish.

I would prefer to stock the bluegills this year and let them have some spawns prior to adding predators. And, I would use 2 to 4 inch fish along with about 10 pounds of fathead minnows. Give the forage base a year to develop prior to adding bass. Also, I wouldn’t add anything less than 3 to 4 inch bass to cut down on their handling mortality.

BTW, Lusk says that 90% of the eggs laid will never see that fish’s first birthday. They get eaten as eggs or fry. But, they lay a bunch of eggs.

@fishinrod
Okay I'm planning on digging some depressions and filling with pea gravel next week before the bluegill go in. Still about halfway to go for filling pond so I have some real estate to work with. At What depth should I construct these areas?

@Dave Davidson1
Interesting point on the mortality. When you say 90% of bluegill eggs don't make it, what fish are the eggs being consumed by? This summer we will only have fatheads and bluegill so maybe a higher success rate of fry survival?

Also based on some of the imput here I am planning on sticking with the 3000 1-3inn bluegill in hopes some will be mature enough to spawn this summer. They will also be on a feed plan from day 1. In addition I am thinking to add about 100 3-6in bluegill to ensure a spawn this summer to set the dinner table for bass. Thoughts on adding a few of these advanced bluegill?

I am definitely NOT a BG expert on Pond Boss. I just read a lot of posts written by our resident experts.

You can probably find the proper depths for the beds by reading some of the old BG threads. If you don't find a good discussion, then you might want to post your specific question as a new thread.

[I think they can spawn in depths from 1' to 6'. I believe the optimal depths are like 1.5' to 3'? I think you also need a wider range if the water level in your pond has large fluctuations.]

In addition to spawning habitat, I believe a good BG survival rate also requires some dense cover for the fry to shelter. Do you have some more cedar trees? I think a few clumps of cedars in shallow water adjacent to your spawning beds will greatly enhance you BG production. (Even if that doesn't work this year, then it will definitely work next year!)

Good luck!

I think it would be a good idea to have a few 4-5" BG, they'll get off a spawn throughout summer. your upper end of 1-3" fish "may" be sexually mature before summer's end and a few may nest.
On BG nesting sites, Rod pretty much has it there. I would mix it up between 1.5-4', keep it diverse.
I've lowered some of my growout ponds and found dishes in 5' water that was maybe 18-20" visibility.
Where water level is constant, I've seen them spawning in 8" water..

Barracuda; in a pond environment, everything is a predator with the exception of filter feeders. But, these girls have massive spawns. Without predation, everything would die from O2 depletion.

Mama Nature, a cruel but efficient girl, planned it this way.