Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Fish supplier for W. central IL (Pike Co.)

I'm in the process of creating a 7 acre pond and I need some info on where to obtain fish. Also, am I too far north for mixing F1s with northern LMB's

We have a dealer in Muncie. Is that too far from you? If not then I will send you a private message with his name and number (along with his stock) if you wish.

BTW welcome on board. You have joined a GREAT group of guys here (and a gal or two).

Deb

Thanks Debra, any info would be great!

Don't want to step on Deb's toes but there is Keystone Hactheries near Richmond which is northern Illinois. I've gotten nothing but quality fish from them. They are in the resource guide here: They have a website too.

http://www.pondboss.com/resourceguide.html

Not stomping at all Cecil. I too have heard really good things about Keystone. Variety (of choice) is the spice of life. Like I told Don in my private message to him regardless of who he deals with I wish him the best of luck with his new adventure.

Don :

Welcome to the PB forum and good luck with your pond.

To answer your second question about F1 LMB involves knowing what is you goal with respect to LMB. There are studies in Ill. that show that both Fla. and F1's do poorly in most of the state (really all but the extreme southern part) and do not reach their potential. I would think that you would be better served with northern LMB from a local (area) supplier who has both quality fish and a good reputation. If you want to post your goals for the pond I will look up the info/results on the F1's and provide them.

Thanks for the advise! My main goal is for a trophy bass lake! I would love to have 7-10 lb fish! The property is a little north of St Louis,with the proper forage is it possible to get that weight out of northern strain fish? 1 more ?, would recommend gizzard shad or golden shiners as another forage source and would it be best to add them 2-3 yrs into the program? Thanks again!

Don :

Here is some info on the subject from the following study.


Survival and Growth of Northern, Florida, and ReciprocalFI Hybrid Largemouth Bass in Central Illinois
DAVID P. PHILIPP AND GREGORY S. WHirr1
Center for Aquatic Ecology, Illinois Natural History Survey Champaign, Illinois


We have shown that FLMB and both reciprocal
F, hybrids exhibit poorer growth than NLMB in
central Illinois. Thus, the introduction of FLMB
into NLMB populations in northerly areas such
as ours would not create the "trophy" bass fishery as intended. Instead, it would result in the production of an intergrade population with poorer growth characteristics than the original native NLMB population.

There is much the debate on this subject with some heated opinions. Philipp is a noted author and expert geneticist on this and other subjects. While I do not agree with all of his opinions in this and other studies I would not bet against the data and his opinon above. But it is your pond and not my decision to make. If you need more info on the subject let me know.

I think it is more important for you to focus on water quality , forage base and population dynamics. On your forage question I would need to know about your pond and plan to comment. Things like water productivity (trophic level), fertilization , supplemental feeding , size, etc. are important factors in such decisions. Having said that , I am not a fan of G. shad in small ponds as they can create serious problems. I would use G. shiners in the right situation.

Don,
To have a trophy bass fishery, you should have a mix of forage species. Check out the books available from this site and some of the other threads. Gizzard shad have several negatives previously posted on this site. Bluegill should be your main starting point.