Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Corrective stocking BCP MANAGEMENT IDEAS

The best Crappie pond I have seen was managed by accident, Every winter several High school boys would fish the deepest part of the pond and sack up a lot of nice crappie when it got to where they would only catch 4 or 5 they would quit. I saw this year after year. There were no bass in this pond. I don't know if that matters.
I have one pond with white crappie. I manage it fair I harvest smaller bass and turn loose any over 3 -4 pounds. I am building a pond downstream and before I do I will drain the crappie pond to prevent them from entering the new pond. I think if you really will eat a lot of crappie it is a fine choice. I also just cant hardly dump them on the bank. I clean a lot of 6" crappie.
I had another pond That I stocked crappie in and they never spawned as far as I could tell , no idea why.
Not sure I am any help

Very cool fish trap and video mnfish.

Thanks!

I've been pondering on how to transfer fish effectively from forage pond to main pond without draining and seining. I've only used minnow traps and one regular wire fish trap. Something like you have done, maybe about once a week, might work in my forage pond.

Pat, even with the broodfish, if you find a skinny 8" BCP take it out. I stocked some 9"-11" CC in my pond years ago, and was removing them when they were around 5#. I caught one that was 12" long and thought that I had reproduction, which I didn't want. I then noticed the missing adipose fin, which I clipped off of all the stockers. That one didn't grow.

Same with the broodfish BCP. If you have one that isn't growing, why leave it in there to reproduce??

Dale, how big were both these crappie ponds?

One important thing we should try and figure out is what pond features deter successful spawning by crappie similar to the one described by Dale?? ""I had another pond That I stocked crappie in and they never spawned as far as I could tell , no idea why"". Something or combination of things caused this. We should try to figure out what caused this. It may be one of the key features for producing big crappie.

Bill C
That's a very good question that needs to be addressed. In my case I want spawning at this point but need to know how to control if possible

Esshup: that's a good point

It is a whole lot easier (time and money) to buy and add stock crappie when needed than to spend lots of time and effort removing excess numbers. Time is money to most.

What happens if no spawning areas are available? By way of an extreme example, I know of a few limestone quarries that present little, if any, water I would normally consider suitable for spawning. Limestone blocks were cut from these places, and raised to ground level vertically. They are literally rectangular "ponds", with completely vertical rock sides and no shallow water at all.

They would be tough to fish, but would the crappie still recruit?

I stocked 50#of shiners up to 4" long recently to get the crappie through the winter.. Any hints on if they will spawn and how to encourage them in a pond with no weeds or plants yet. Any artificial spawning sites that can be put into the pond to facilitate things?

How would tilapia be added to Comtrol FA and also be an additional forage fish?

""How would tilapia be added to Control FA and also be an additional forage fish?"" I don't think anyone is using tilapia primarily as forage for crappie ponds. It would be a good thing to try and may help improve growth of the crappie if the other predators did not eat most all of the young tilapia. In the fall when all tilapia are dying all fish eating predators are getting some of the easy to catch forage.

Bill
I was thinking that having tilapia YOY would take some of the heat off of CNBG YOY untill they get established since the LMB population exploded to soon

The one I have with crappie is about and acre and had no cover other then weeds when I got it. I have added some cedar trees and need more. The pond the crappie didn't spawn in was about 2/3 acre and had a lot of woody cover and had nice bass and big bluegill.

The pond I am building below the crappie pond is 10 acres and I don't even want to attempt to manage crappie. Hopefully I wont get any from upstream it is fed by a wet weather creek and gets some strong flows with no telling how many farm ponds that run into it.

You can lower pond level a few feet, plant rye or fescue, let it grow to 6" and raise water level again. Some have also advocated using furnace filters...no clue on the latter methods' efficacy - never done it - it's a Travis tip - he might have some experience to share.

Can't afford that- took since August last year to come up 6", and still 5' low.

In the absence of submergent or emergent vegetation, I recommend planting the grass now along the exposed banks. Obviously in this scenario you're dependent on Spring rains and level rising over the grass which has hopefully grown some, and you may have established appropriate GSH spawning habitat. Or, you can search the archives for GSH spawning habitat furnace filters and might find some direction. Or, you can simply restock GSH until you have established habitat necessary for GSH spawning. GSH are pretty affordable and most hatcheries have access to them if they don't raise them. Doing my best here - those are the only options I know that can help you in absense of vegetation.

TJ
That I can do. Already the level has come up into the Bermuda grass that is growing down into the water line, plus there is some clumps of I believe is sedges that is now in several inches of water

Thanks


Pat

That's all the GSH need, you should see some reproduction this Spring/Summer.

TJ
Failed to mention that I Also with the shiners added 50# of FHMs . What a expensive feast

Pat,

Got any guess on how many bass that you have? You're still seeing a lot of GSH and FHM, right?

Bill D
At this point I really don't know,but since they spawned last spring I would say probably 100 plus the parents. I was fishing the last time up and hung a hoss of a bass that took off stripping line unfortunately it ran under a log and got off. Estimated it at3-4lbsthe way it fought. One of the bucket parents. Most of the ones I'm catching are about9-12"

Not seeing any minnows at all last two times up cept a few gambusias in the flooded timber, but it has been cool

I was just wondering if you will have minnows left at spawning time. The guys warned me that with only 6 SMB 8 to 10 inch and 1 LMB 8 to 10 inch that my fall stocking of 100 PS 2 to 3 inch and 10 lbs of FHM in my little 1/4 may very well be gone by this spring. I already had many many FHM and new BG spawn when I stocked last fall. Our situations are similar with no vegetation and I have 50+ YP 5 to 7 inch instead of your BCP. Just saying you might want to check to see if you still have minnow brood stock.

That's why I was trying to catch LMB to give my BCP more grub till spring spawn of everything, won't know till later in the spring if there are any FHMs and GSH left.the baitfish was a stopgap till spring

The BCP look good so far and maybe will get off their first spawn.....course so will the bucket bass2nd gen.

Will be going up to pond in next day or so and will put out minnow trap and see if any minnows go in .... Water has warmed some over the last few days



Pat

Pat,
Bait fish were thick up against the banks up at my place yesterday...I guess feeding in a little warmer water in the sun lit shallows....activity in the pond has increased greatly in this warmer weather...but it may be short lived...they predicting low 30's by Wednesday....
Charlie