Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Corrective stocking Stocking CC with stunted LMB?

I've been lurking for a while and figured I'd ask my first question. I have searched but haven't found a direct answer to this question....so here goes.

I have a farm pond about 3/4 of an acre. It is full of stunted LMB and I'm trying to rid it of some of them. I do not care about them but I want catfish in there. Would it be ok for me to stock adult sized (12"+) CC in there with them so the kids and I can fish this year? I would also stock it with minnows or commercial feed. This would not be done until around the end of June and I would hope to have quite a few of these stunted fish gone from the pond by then. Thank you for your help.

Welcome to the forum!

Before I say sure, you could stock the CC, what size are the stunted LMB, and what are the largest LMB in the pond?

The CC won't have any effect on your lmb. Minnows would be pretty much a waste of money unless you have prime structure in place for them..

We fished last year and so far this year and almost every bass is between 10-12 inches and don't even weigh a pound. The weight is just a guess though. I haven't actually sat down and kept a record because I don't really care about the bass. I would much prefer catfish. So far there hasn't been any that I would call a keeper caught.

On the minnows, what would I need to make a decent structure? I read about sinking small evergreen trees or something about pallets. I actually have quite a few pallets laying around.

If the LMB are that size, then by all means you can stock the CC without any fears of them becoming food themselves. As for stocking minnows, I doubt that you will see any measurable gains from them unless you can stock a LOT of them. And, I mean a LOT. It takes approx. 10# of fish to put 1# of weight on one LMB. So, you can see why we say take out a bunch of LMB.

Thanks for the info. Much appreciated

Sounds like the perfect size LMB for a fish fry party. Bring your buddies over on a weekend & you'll clear a lot of them out.

Just a word of warning CaptHowdy, don't go overboard on CC's.(unless you plan on eating every one you catch).

I put 20+ lbs of fatheads in my pond every year (plus extra minnows from lake fishing). Don't worry about taking them out... You'll never get them all!

What about the CC getting hook-shy? Where are the 12" CC coming from? If you catch them to transplant them from another body of water, won't they get hook shy right off the bat? Perhaps you are getting them from a fish hatchery?

I would be getting it stocked from a hatchery. The pond is around 3/4 of an acre. I'm thinking about getting 150lbs. They are supposed to be 12" plus.

I know you might be tempted, but I's strongly suggest not doing any C&R with the CC. They get hook shy VERY quickly and some will be impossible to catch if released back into the pond, even at a small size.

A client wanted me to get out some CC in his pond that he's been feeding. They are in the 5#-7# range. I used a Chubby Stubby and while they swam and looked at it, they immediately turned away. I switched to 5-6 Stubby Steves regular pellets threaded on a #2 hook and 12# flurocarbon line. They did exactly the same thing. So, next time I'll downsize to a #10 hook and 4# test line with one or at the most two pellets.

I'm sight fishing, tossing it out in front of them as they are cruising through the pellets feeding. If that fails, it's trotline time. Can't use a small BG because of the LMB in the pond.

Bow fish them babies right out of the esshup if you can see them cruising..

I can, but I gotta be really careful. There are 5-6 24+" Koi in the pond (real Koi not large goldfish) and I can't hit one of those. I can't imagine what it'd cost to replace one of those!!!

No catch and release. If you're fishin, you're fishin for dinner.

Hmm thst is a dilemma guess It comes down to how much faith you have in your aim.. and shooting into water is always fishy <- (LIKE THAT JOKE LOL)

I'm O.K. with a bow, much more accurate with a firearm. Just picked up new flurocarbon line for all the reels so I might just try with lighter line and one or two SS pellets on a much smaller hook.

What kind of fluorocarbon you get.. I ran that suffix for awhile seemed like I needed to change it almost monthly during the summer almost got like crispy? Any thoughts on that?

2 years ago I spooled almost each and every reel with a different brand. I seemed to like Berkley Transition the most and Berkley Vanish 2nd best. I did throw 65# Power Pro Moss Green on the Ambassadeur 5600C. Maybe I'll run across a Musky next week??