Pond Boss Forums STOCKING A NEW POND Creating the food chain Grass Shrimp

In talking to ponders and reading books and web material, I have never heard mention of grass shrimp as a good part of the food chain.

Maybe it's a Southern thing. I wonder if the little crustaceans can survive anywhere except in the deep south?

My personal experience with grass shrimp is excellent. I have fished a few small lakes and ponds with a good grass shrimp population, and the food chain and water seem to be very healthy. I have fished weeds along banks that are literally popping with the lively little guys. One can see all sizes of bluegill and crappie feeding on them, and up to 2 pound bass sucking them in. They also make excellent bait, and are my personal favorite for most pond fishing.

I'm building a 1.5 acre pond, and unless you guys can enlighten me to the contrary, I am going to use them as a primary part of the food chain.

Does anyone have experience with grass shrimp, either positive or negative?

Many thanks,,,

Bob,

Yes, I have a very good population of them...when I did an electro-survey this spring, they were popping out of the water like popcorn.

I have no idea how they got established (maybe the old bird discussion) but am very happy to have them. I can't really determine the effect they have on the food chain, but certainly believe they are very positive.

Never thought of trying to catch them for bait..do you cast net them like the saltwater version?

Meadowlark,

Thanks for the reply. I catch them with a fairly fine dip net. Usually, about 1/4 of them in a catch are big enough for bait, and the fish really hit them hard when fished around the weeds where they are netted.

I think they eat mostly vegitable matter, mostly algae and decaying plants and occasionally small critters. I have never seen them in murky or stagnant conditions, so I associate them with healthy water. Perhaps they are even partly responsible for the healthy water.

Interesting observation about the healthy water...and I hope you are right. I'm going to try to net some tomorrow just for the fun of it.

bobod, try a search and you'll find quite a bit of discussion about them. One thing that you might discover is that a healthy fish population will really hit them hard. Because of this, you might not consider them as your primary forage but rather a secondary forage.

Norm is right, as usual. There's a good thread on this topic at:

http://www.pondboss.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=6;t=000037;p=

Dave Willis said exactly what I've seen...they (the grass shrimp) hang out around submerged weeds along the shoreline...since my submerged weeds are threatened by the grass carp and Tilapia I may loose these guys over time.

Hi Norm,

Yes, I know fish feed heavily on the grass shrimp. That was sort of my whole point for wanting to stock them.

If I have to make a shallow weedy lagoon to breed them (along with perhaps some gambusia) I will do so. I have already planned a few weedy areas to act as cover for bait species and to help with general pond health.

Kindest thanks,,,

Meadowlark,

Thanks for the link. It was enlightening. Seems grass shrimp are hardy up north too!

Bobad, keep in mind that gambusia are prolific breeders. You will probably end up with them anyway (they stick to the feet of ML's water turkeys and populate all ponds) Gambusia will prey upon the small fry of all fish, that can be both good and bad depending on what types of fish you choose. Somehow the native grass shrimp found themselves in my pond too Praise the water turkeys ! hahahahah....my close observations show that any shrimp ranks right at the top of any fish's diet !

Yes, I know the gambusia are prolific. I guess that's a big advantage of live birthing. I've noticed that gambusia will not venture out close to bedding areas. They seem to stay close to the banks, and in shallow and weedy areas.

Wonder if gambusia and shrimp would be sufficient without fatheads/rosy reds or any other introduced bait fish?

Side note: Between the shrimp and gambusia, I don't think a single mosquito larva will mature in my pond.

Bobad,

The Gambusia seem to be in every ditch that holds water in East Texas...but together with grass shrimp, I don't believe they contribute ssignificantly to the food chain, contribue, yes, but significantly no.

I went out to catch some grass shrimp this weekend but they were all small, but it gave me an idea to use a fly imitating the grass shrimp, called a scud...man did that ever work on my fish! Small bass, BG and even a small HSB picked off the scud worked along a weed edge. I'm very glad you mentioned it. Thanks.

We used to get what we called "glass shrimp" when I worked in an aquarium store. Not sure if they are the same as the grass shrimp, but they are small usually under 1 1/2 inch clear freshwater shrimp. If you are looking for a supplier try aquarium stores. I'm not sure if they can order the amounts that are required for a large pond but they are usually available so ask around at fish stores. It might be possible to propigate them in an aquarium yourself and add them to the pond in a heavily weeded area when their numbers are high. Good luck!

Bassandgrass,

That sounds like the ones. I used to get a few 1-1/2 inchers that I called "keepers". Anything over an inch made cracking good bait.

I know a couple of ponds where I can net some. It only takes a few hatches (one summer)to build up a huge population.

Meadowlark,

The more I think about it, the more I think you are right. Shrimp and gambusia are probably a light snack, and I will have to stock some rosy reds etc. for the main course.

Thank y'all,,,

Well rosy reds will only carry you so far also...depending on your pond objectives. If you are after a LMB pond, you need much more substantial forage that can readily be provided by BG.

Does anyone have a source for Grass Shrimp?