I had an idea and was wondering if it could work.
I'd love to build a small pond for raising bait but that's just not going to be able to happen anytime soon right now. In the meanwhile I was trying to think of other ways I could raise FHMs.
One thought was to build a cage that is in my pond, maybe floating next to the dock or along the shoreline. If I made it 6x6' or 8x8' by two or three ft. deep, (big enough for a stack of 2 or 3 pallets, corralled it with 1/8in. mesh, and put a top over it, could this work? How small would I need to make the mesh to keep the young inside? Would 1/8" be too small and need to be something more like window screen?
Would this be a waste of time? If worth a try, how many minnows should I initially put in it? I assume I would be feeding them fish food.
My other idea was to use a small pool, about 8' diameter and 2 feet deep, put it in the shade, run aeration in it and see if minnows would work in that.
SherWood, I seem to recall that the Floating Island folks had some success building habitat protecting FHM. At least, this was hinted at not too long ago. You might inquire with Bob Lusk.
I myself have purchased a large fish cage and used it to house CNBG that I later stocked in my forage pond. Wonder if 1/4 or even 1/2 inch openings would work, especially if FHM spawning surfaces were placed in the cage. Would need to keep out coons, turtles & herons as well as predatory fish.
