Walking the shoreline of my 8 acre pond yesterday I noticed a lot of small Blue Gill ranging in size from 1/2" to 3". I assume these are all fish that hatched in 2019.

I'm wondering what the survival rate is of these smaller fish over a NC winter. The pond is in the Piedmont area, just outside of Charlotte with an elevation of only 500 feet.

Do you have predators in the pond like bass, larger blue gill, crappie, etc? If so, what kind of populations.

I'm no expert on the matter, but larger fish will be a big factor in survival rates through a winter and those in the "know" will want some of that info.

Welcome to the forums, good to have you!

Most of the smaller fish will be taken by predation. Smaller fish in poor condition at onset of cold may die from starvation related health issues if eats hard to come by. Some actually grow during winter, even in central Missouri. The Piedmont is a milder setting so losses through depredation likely to be more important.

I have had ponds with low stocking densities and high forage abundance where bluegill doubled or even tripled in weight over winter. For some reason they can not realize the same rate of growth on feed under similar conditions.

Actually, the smallest fish starve. There is predation to a point but fry and slightly larger, pretty much lose their entire buffet in winter.
Now I have to back up here and state this may not be true in warmer climates but throughout the central US-north, there just isn't a constant source of food for the smallest, late hatch size fish.
I should edit to say I agree with Jim :-))

Also, Fry and fingerlings are 2 different classes of fish. 2-3" fingerlings stand a much higher chance of survival than 1/2" Fry.
Some people refer to small fish as fry long after that stage is passed-no biggie, just confusing sometimes..

Now why is it that every time you drop by I end up feeling like I have been gifted with many more questions than answers? I totally mean that as a compliment as your posts are always very thought provoking.

Fry overwinter just fine here in the South. I had tons of little CNBG very late last year, I think after mid November. I watched them grow into recognizable little bluegill. Didn't see any effects from our brief cold snaps.

All fry have a massive mortality rate due to predation (and cannibalism). That's why we love our bluegill, they make lots of fry.

I also see large numbers of very small fish hugging the bank.

How many survive? Only the smart or the lucky!

Survival rate for yoy BG is , by necessity, very low. Winter is just one of the parts to total mortality rates. Certain hatchings (time frame) can also starve in spring if the right size and timing of food is not available. I don't recall seeing any hard numbers or data but my guess is among a year class of BG for year 1 total mortality is 99%.

Lusk says that 95% of all fry are eaten before they reach 1 YOA.