How to proceed will depend on your goals. If my only goal is to have a YP spawn in mid Indiana, then I would add more YP now (asap) that were mature fish, mixed sex, and soon to spawn in the next 1-3 weeks. Or he could buy some YP eggs. I discard YP eggs each spring as a form of population control. It also depends on how much one wants YP in the pond. RAH has been in the past hesitant to travel several hours to get fish. All this fish growing stuff depends on how much one wants results. Sometimes it takes good preplanning, sacrifice, and/or money to get your desired results.
If again there is no YP spawn in 2015 then he has to wait another year to see if a spawn occurs. Although there is still the option of buying fingerlings this spring or this fall which could have been done in fall 2014, to insure presence of male YP for the spawn of 2015. One year old male YP are fertile.
Adding fingerlings during a poor spawn year improves or bolsters the year class strength of that species. When one stocks fingerling YP they are thin bodied fish and are easy prey for some small predators. Thus it is important to consider what predators are present, their density, and what other available forage foods are present before supplemental stocking of any fingerlings.
Last edited by Bill Cody; 03/30/15 10:45 AM.
