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Joined: May 2009
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Lunker
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Lunker
Joined: May 2009
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I have given up on getting blue catfish and will be stocking CC, along with RES and black crappie. The pond currently has fathead minnows and spotfin shiners only. My question is timing. I will only be adding 10 of each species, and I will stock the smallest size available from Jones (2-3" RES, 4-5" CC, and 3.5-5" crappie). Should I stock them all together or maybe add the RES next spring, the crappie a year later, and the CC the 3rd year? The pond was built in 2017 and still has very little plant life. Even the lotus is still struggling after 4 years. Any help is greatly appreciated. I have spawning structure for the CC. There seem to be lots of tiny fish in the pond.
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Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 4,126 Likes: 749
Lunker
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Lunker
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 4,126 Likes: 749 |
Do you want spawning structure for the CC? They are VERY efficient at putting on weight and growing, especially if you are feeding. I think you would have much better management control of your small pond if you tried to prevent the CC from spawning and instead ladder stocked as they grew and you culled. I asked a related question last year, and got about 3 pages of responses. Here is the link. Other Species in a Channel Catfish PondGood luck on getting a good blend of fish going in your pond!
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Joined: May 2009
Posts: 5,750 Likes: 295
Lunker
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OP
Lunker
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 5,750 Likes: 295 |
I want the CC to spawn. Only interested in species that can sustain a population. I do need to pull some SMB out of my 2nd pond. They have spawned well!
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FishinRod |
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Joined: Sep 2003
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Moderator Ambassador Field Correspondent Hall of Fame 2014 Lunker
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Moderator Ambassador Field Correspondent Hall of Fame 2014 Lunker
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 14,063 Likes: 370 |
I'd do it at the same time. At those low numbers, I'm now wondering when will be the first time you might see any of them.
In a similar sized pond, I've put in higher numbers than 10/species and have really yet to affirmatively say I've seen one of the predator fish. I think I've maybe 75%+ seen some activity that I would say is the new predators, but not blatant. Certainly not like I expected to see.
Excerpt from Robert Crais' "The Monkey's Raincoat:" "She took another microscopic bite of her sandwich, then pushed it away. Maybe she absorbed nutrients from her surroundings."
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Joined: May 2009
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Lunker
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Lunker
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 5,750 Likes: 295 |
In my 2nd pond which is 0.9 acres, I started off the lake chubsucker population with 12 fish, the SMB with 20 fish. and the GSH with 25 fish. These all produced good populations. Just don't want the CC to eat the RES or crappie before they get going, especially considering the limited cover.
Last edited by RAH; 10/08/22 06:45 AM.
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Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 4,126 Likes: 749
Lunker
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Lunker
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 4,126 Likes: 749 |
Just don't want the CC to eat the RES or crappie before they get going, especially considering the limited cover. You could certainly add them all at the same time, IF they were sized correctly! However, my impression from reading Pond Boss is that the fish suppliers are having a difficult time keeping up with demand in selected species/sizes. There are many posts about people wanting X-inch sized fish of Y species, and their supplier not having any. Perhaps the wiser course would be to find out what is available from your preferred supplier(s) for next spring. Post that stocking plan on the forum and see if the experts say that should probably work. If that won't work, then alter your timing to make a plan that does work. "The best laid plans of mice and men often go astray."
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Joined: Jan 2009
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Moderator Ambassador Field Correspondent Lunker
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Moderator Ambassador Field Correspondent Lunker
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My experience with stocking lower than "standard" stocking numbers has been dismal. Especially if there is any sort of predator in the pond. As in the predators in the pond consumed ALL fry that were hatched in the pond, and only the stocked fish remained. Plus the stocked fish had poor body condition because there was not enough food in there to let them grow the way they should.
If the pond doesn't have the necessary cover in the pond for fish to hide in and reproduce (for ALL species) it will be a management nightmare and entail a LOT of hands on removal of fish.
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Joined: May 2009
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Lunker
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Lunker
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 5,750 Likes: 295 |
I may try to add more dead spruce trees this winter for cover. Your post has prompted me to do this. Thanks!
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Joined: May 2009
Posts: 5,750 Likes: 295
Lunker
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Lunker
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 5,750 Likes: 295 |
Guess that I'll play it safe and only add the 10 RES next spring.
Last edited by RAH; 10/13/22 12:54 PM.
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Joined: May 2009
Posts: 5,750 Likes: 295
Lunker
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Lunker
Joined: May 2009
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Based on recent Google maps update, pond is 0.48 acres. Newest pond is over 0.8 acres including attached wetland.
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Joined: May 2004
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Moderator Lunker
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Moderator Lunker
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 14,236 Likes: 370 |
I want the CC to spawn. Only interested in species that can sustain a population. I do need to pull some SMB out of my 2nd pond. They have spawned well! I suggest that if you put in spawning structure for the CC, ensure that it could be removed if you want. IME spawning CC in the presence of LMB do not produce objectionable numbers. If your only predator is SMB, that might not be the case. CC in sizes big enough to be safe from SMB predation are about the cheapest fish that size that you could add down the road, if you lack CC spawning and want to keep their numbers up. They are also pretty readily available.
"Live like you'll die tomorrow, but manage your grass like you'll live forever." -S. M. Stirling
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Joined: May 2009
Posts: 5,750 Likes: 295
Lunker
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Lunker
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 5,750 Likes: 295 |
Still waiting on adding any predators to my 3rd pond in the hopes that I can locate blues. I do not plan any SMB or LMB for this pond. I will likely add black crappie (against most experts advice) as an experiment to see if blue catfish can control them. I still have very few plants, so I recently added more dead spruce trees. My 4th pond leaks pretty bad, so I am thinking of trying warmouth in that one. My 1st pond is a LMB/BG pond, and my 2nd pond is a SMB/YP pond. Wanting to experiment with my 3rd and 4th ponds.
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Joined: Jan 2006
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Moderator Lunker
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Moderator Lunker
Joined: Jan 2006
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I have a pond about that size. I found that, in my case, the bluegills over spawned leading to an O2 crash. Catfish couldn’t control them. Over about 30 years, it has become a GSF pond. And, that’s how it will stay.
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
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Nutria
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Koi
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