Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Evaluating and adjusting fish populations Stocking Hybrid Striped Bass

I may have the opportunity later this week to acquire some HSB about 12 inches long (1 - 1 1/4 pounds estimated) to put in my lake. I understand that they will have had some clove oil.

What would I need to transport 80 - 100 of them about 35 miles? How much water? What should I do?

Any caveats?

LMB were stocked in summer of 2004 I think. Pond had ice on this weekend, but imagine it is pretty open now.

I could place in smaller pond with just rosey red fathead minnows in it - maybe 6 - 8 feet deep. I could put them in a smaller pond which should have just rosey red fathead minnows in it - maybe 6 - 8 feet deep; but may have been contaminated within past few months. I could put them in a smaller pond which has bass and bullheads and green sunfish in it; but probably none as large as the HSBs - maybe 6 - 8 feet deep. Or I could just put them in the main water body.

I couldn't pull up any of the links about HSBs in the archive area for some reason...

Any advice appreciated...

First of all, congratulations. That size fish is hard to come by. I'm sure you'll love them.

100 pounds of fish is a lot of weight to move. I'd use about as much water as you can possibly come up with. I wouldn't go much less than 200 gallons, ideally well aerated. No sudden temperature changes.

This time of year isn't ideal. Any jostling of the fish, when ending up in cold water could result in fungus growth, and maybe eventual death. HANDLE THE FISH ABSOLUTELY AS LITTLE AS POSSIBLE!!!.

Time of day is also important. Fist of all I like to move fish in the morning, because it will give them time to acclimate in a lit environment, and also really early in the morning can be good because lower traffic volume in your area may mean fewer stops, resulting in less jostling and less travel time.

I'd tend to put them in the main pond initially and take my chances. This will mean one less handling event.

To look up archived threads, find the original George in the members list (Not George1), and look for his previous posts. When you have these up, then click on "topics created". If you go back a year or two you will find that George's HSB threads are the best ones.

Good luck.

My fish guy only used the clove oil when he was transferring them from his truck into my pond. The HSB actually were laying on my pond bottom for 5 to 10 minutes before they revived; they seemed to wait for each other to wake up; then they took off.

Obviously, all of what Bruce said.

I have no experience with this, but from what I've heard, extra precautions should be taken when driving with large volumes of fluid as it's not just dead weight, you know, the motion of the ocean.

I would try to have anti-slosh panels in the hauling tank, if I could figure out how and what to use that wouldn't injure the fish.

Rangersedge, congratulations on locating this size and quality of HSB,
As Bruce says “This time of year isn't ideal. Any jostling of the fish, when ending up in cold water could result in fungus growth, and maybe eventual death. HANDLE THE FISH ABSOLUTELY AS LITTLE AS POSSIBLE!!!.”

What is your current air and water temps?

I had a bad experience a few years ago transporting and stocking HSB in January and February, and this was in Texas.
HSB developed bad fungus and had extremely high mortality due to fungus.

If you do choose to transport follow the above advice – clove oil does work to minimize stress.

Maybe Todd Overton of Overton Fisheries will chime in – he does this sort of thing for a living. He has transport tanks available for customers hauling their own fish and maybe your provider has the same, and could treat the transport water for you?

There is a ton of HSB info in the archives but sadly can’t be recovered with new server changeover, but there is a lot of experience to share, so fire away with the questions.

Personally, I would not take the risk at this time of year unless there is absolutely no other alternative.

Good luck,
george1 – previously george

http://www.pondboss.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=11139&fpart=5

If the HSBs are to be harvested at the fish farm with a seine...don't take them this time of year. They will probably get a fungal infection and die. Wait till water temps are mid60-mid70s. The only way we harvest HSBs in cool water is with shocker boat or hook/line, then we use clove oil and salt every time we handle them.

Assuming you are going to haul them, have the hatchery sedate them with clove oil for the ride home. Also use two double-handfuls of stock salt for every 100 gallons of water in the hauling tanks. If sedated, you can get by with 100 gallons of water for 100 lbs of fish, but this is max. If not sedated, stick with Bruce's recommendation, minimum 200 gallons of water. Good aeration is a must.

I like Bruce's recommendations, right on.

I am buying by the pound so combination of eagerness to have some and economics (i.e. they'll be heavier later) prompted me to think now might be ok.

Then again, it is poor economics to buy fish that die shortly after release. I also have concerns about getting them to the lake (just unpacked dirt road to lake, 55 degrees F and muddy out there with lake currently overflowing and 80% chance of rain each of next couple days). The guy indicated that I could wait until later in the year and he might have some left. It sounds like that is what I should probably do. Is that what you'd recommend?

Yep...

Money talks. Tell him you'll give him another 50 cents per fish to hang on to 'em for you.

I just talked with him and told him I was going to hold off. He understood and will keep in contact. I may get a chance at some later.

I think I may also check into getting a bunch of really small ones this Spring to stock in pond that only has fathead minnows at present.