I think exact stocking rates can be different. Look at my situation. I only stocked a total of 325 CNBG and 75 RES and now look what I have after 5 years. My stocking numbers were low for sure but I still ended up with nice fish when all said and done.
Well thats where I'm a little different because I already had some bass in the pond that I was trying to get rid of the old 13 inch stunted bass but trust me they were hungry! And I still ended up with nice fish. So I can only tell you part of this and not lie
I bought my pond in May of 2009. I put my CNBG in my pond and my RES in July and then the bigger ones 75 CNBG in August. I did not put any bass in there on my own mind you until that next spring. Then I put in 14 Florida strain bass that were all in the range of about 12 inches from a friend. I knew they were FL bass and I knew they were not stunted. What I did not know is how many I still had in the pond???
So I guess you could say I gave my lower number stock fish a chance by 1. Waiting to put any bass in till the next spring. Except for the ones that were already in there. 2. Catching as many stunted bass as I could and keeping them. 3. Making sure they had plenty of cover when I put them in my pond.
In July of 09 when I put them fish in my pond you could literally see the carpet of Chara I had growing on my pond bottom it covered a good 50 percent of my pond then. So my fish has plenty of places to hide. (Keep that in mind when you stock.) If your pond is a wide open I can see from one end to the other pond then your fish are not going to have near the chance at surviving like mine did. That's what I mean about having some habitat for them. Either natural or man made you got to have something for them to run and hide in.
I don't think the bass you just put in your pond will be an issue this fall if you can get some 3 inch plus fish and if you have enough other bait fish the bass will got for those fish also and some of your BG and RES will make it I guarantee it. They wont get them all.
So back to you original question. How many bass did I have? Well I know I had 14, I'm guessing I had at least 20 still in the pond even after fishing it and all of them were bigger then your bass will be this fall. If you have a good spot you can catch some bigger BG go get them. Sometimes you got to what you got to do to get things going. I DO NOT recommend doing that with BASS but BG IMO are fine to do that with as long as they look nice and healthy. All you would need are a spare 15 or 20 bigger gills to get your rolling down the right path. This time of year is the time to get them in there and let them spawn. They are spawning machines man.
Like said above I don't manage my BG, I let my LMB do that for me. I will from time to time take a few out to eat! But that 's it. I do however manage my LMB and MY HSB.
Good Luck man!!
Keep us posted RC
Last edited by RC51; 05/16/1612:36 PM.
The only difference between a rut and a Grave is the depth. So get up get out of that rut and get moving!! Time to work!!
A few adult BG and RES would make a big difference in your situation. Your 2 inch May LMB will be about 8 inches by early fall. If you could get 15 adult BG and 10 adult RES ( male and female of each species)now you could significantly reduce your problem.
A guy in Birmingham is willing to sell me RES and BG at $0.25 a piece. They're small, but I could get them in two weeks. I could get them before the bass had been in the pond for a month.
Is the timing good and can they really last four hours in bags with compressed air?
If he has a fish truck, perhaps you could meet him half way. If you can get those fish in the pond now, I would. I don't know how long fish can last in the bags, but he should have a pretty good idea, as should some of the people on ths forum. The air temperature would probably make a significant difference.
Small is OK now. The bass are too small to bother them. However, they will do a number on the spawn. FYI, the small bass will be eating the new babies.
It's not about the fish. It's about the pond. Take care of the pond and the fish will be fine. PB subscriber since before it was in color.
Without a sense of urgency, Nothing ever gets done.
Boy, if I say "sic em", you'd better look for something to bite. Sam Shelley Rancher and Farmer Muleshoe Texas 1892-1985 RIP Grandpa
... can they really last four hours in bags with compressed air?
FWIW I have received fish that were sent by UPS in two days that did great but not on compressed air. The bags were filled with pure O2 and had an ammonia neutralizer in the water. IMHO your fish guy should be able to do the same if he knows his stuff.
Small is OK now. The bass are too small to bother them. However, they will do a number on the spawn. FYI, the small bass will be eating the new babies.
That's why I am waiting until at least this fall to stock a few small LMB. It still depends on the BG, RES, and FHM spawns this summer. I might wait until June 2017. The pond was stocked with CC, BG, RES, and FHM last fall.
Small is OK now. The bass are too small to bother them. However, they will do a number on the spawn. FYI, the small bass will be eating the new babies.
I am waiting to hear from a supplier two hours away in the sprawling metropolis of Ball Ground, GA and another supplier four hours away in Pike, Alabama. I will be getting RES and more BG (600 more, 1,200 total) in early June at the latest. I plan on getting my stocking rates up to 20 bream per LMB, somewhere between the desirable ratios of trophy bream and trophy LMB.
I feel much better about the future health of the pond. The bass are going to have a feast later over the next year. After they spawn next summer though, I'm planning on harvesting a few.
By the way, a supplier told me that putting in FHM a month after putting in LMB would be a waste as they would not have time to spawn and would basically be devoured by the 1" LMB I just put in. Is there any truth to that?
Nobody has mentioned this yet, and assuming you are a newbie, if you put in FHM make sure you get them from a very reputable dealer. A lot of times there are undesirable fish mixed in with the FHM. If uncertain of quality, go thru them by hand and sort.
Also, nobody has mentioned Greg Grimes in Georgia. He might be able to help you out. He is hardly on here anymore and is forgotten easily. Look him up in the resource section of PondBoss.
I wouldn't think a 1" LMB(or once grown to 2") will be able to eat a 1+" FHM. If you put the FHM in now, they'll have a chance to spawn before being predated.
I wouldn't think a 1" LMB(or once grown to 2") will be able to eat a 1+" FHM. If you put the FHM in now, they'll have a chance to spawn before being predated.
I was at a fish supplier that had a tank of small 2" LMB. He said watch this. He took a one inch minnow (possibly larger?) and dropped it into the tank. It was taken immediately. Perhaps this was because of ravenous fish in a tank situation, but I saw it first hand as being possible.
I do agree putting them in now is a good idea, but stocking any later is not very beneficial.
Grimes did not have any redear ATM. Instead, I used Southern States Game Fish Hatchery in Pike Road, Alabama. I bought 500 more bream (around 150 RES) on the way back from Destin and transported them four plus hours to Danielsville, GA. Not one fish died on entry to the pond.
i hate to say it, but if that pond has been full for 4 years, then it is probably full of green sunfish. you might want to go fishing and see if you catch any. it is impossible to keep gsf out of a body of water in our part of the country.
The pond is actually spring fed. The creek flows from the spring. There are no other ponds or creeks linked to it. Can fish come from springs? The only fish we see are the fish we stocked.
my water source for my pond starts only a few hundred feet above my pond. during construction we had a rain that washed the creek channel out really bad. you would think there wasn't any chance any fish could have stayed in the pond area due to the amount of water and current rushing thru. i was advised to kill off my pond before the initial stocking, but i didn't listen. my friend has an antique glass minnow trap and they are awesome for catching fish in still water. we put it in the pond just to see how many fathead minnows and bg we could catch. we instantly started catching gsf.
i have read where they are the first fish to establish in a body of water that has previously been dry. i have also heard people say they have seen them swim upstream thru pasture grass during a heavy rain and make their way into cattle watering holes.
did the place on pike road sell res only or were they mixed in with bluegill? i have never found a place around here that sold only bg. they always say it is a mix. 85% bg and 15% res. i have often wondered if they come from the same pond and if that equation is due to res not producing as much as bg. american sportfish is where i bought my fish and it is also on or near pike road. i passed another supplier or two while heading to asf. probably was the same place you got yours. i wonder if asf gets some of their fish from your supplier or if they grow theirs only.
did the place on pike road sell res only or were they mixed in with bluegill? i have never found a place around here that sold only bg. they always say it is a mix. 85% bg and 15% res. i have often wondered if they come from the same pond and if that equation is due to res not producing as much as bg. american sportfish is where i bought my fish and it is also on or near pike road. i passed another supplier or two while heading to asf. probably was the same place you got yours. i wonder if asf gets some of their fish from your supplier or if they grow theirs only.
They had the fish bagged for me by the time I got there. They did bag them together so I'm assuming that they do come from the same pond.
The bass have been in the pond since late May. I caught three to four today. The largest was ten inches. I saw two bigger guys, which surprised me. I did not fish much and caught the first two on the first two casts.
I have seen bream beds since June, so I guess the bream have spawned three times. They feed on pellets regularly and I've seen countless tiny fish.
Thanks for your advice. I'm glad I didn't stop with 600 bream.