Stocking Considerations

Crappie: Though popular with anglers, crappie are not generally recommended for stocking in small lakes and ponds, less than 3 acres. Crappie product large numbers of off-spring which can quickly over-populate a pond, resulting in stunted growth.

Hybrid Bluegill: Some pond owners do not desire to stock bass or are reluctant to stock bluegill because of their reputation for over-populating. (It should be noted that the cause for most bluegill problems is traceable to over-harvesting of largemouth bass). For these reasons and others, we offer customers hybrid bluegill as an alternative. Hybrids grow at a much faster rate. The best hybrid cross for stocking ponds or lakes is the bluegill (male) X green sunfish (female). This strain of hybrid readily eats commercial catfish feed, may average 1/4-3/4 of a pound growth per year and can grow to 2-3 pounds. Approximately 95-97% of the population are male. If hybrid bluegill are desired and stocked in combination with bass, we recommend a ratio of 70% bluegill to 30% hybrid bluegill.

Fathead Minnows: Fathead minnows are an excellent forage food for bass, catfish and other types of fish. Adult minnows seldom grow larger than 3 inches. Sexual maturity is reached at one year of age. Spawning commences when the temperature of water nears 65 degrees and continues through the summer and fall. A single female can spawn 6 or more times during the growing season, laying from 200 to 500 eggs per spawn. Eggs are attached to the underside of any object in shallow water and hatch in 5-6 days.

Largemouth Bass: The feed to flesh conversion rate for largemouth bass is extremely poor since they are so active. When stocking bass in a new or rehabilitated pond/lake with no fish population, we suggest stocking the bass 6-12 months after initial stocking of forage fish. This will allow time for the bait fish to reproduce, providing an ample food chain for the bass.

How many grass carp to stock in a pond to control vegetation

A rule of thumb is that aquatic vegetation is too thick when over 20% of the surface area of the pond is covered. You may expect your pond to have a narrow ring of submerged vegetation in the shallow areas. This is OK! We suggest stocking grass carp for weed control over using most chemicals. When compared with other mechanical and chemical methods, the use of grass carp to control weeds is inexpensive and results usually last several years. Each 8-12 inch grass carp can eat 2-3 times their own weight in aquatic plants each day.

When properly stocked in ponds, grass carp control pond moss, underwater rooted plants, floating duckweeds, and water fern and will not interfere wit other types of fish. Grass carp (8-12 inch) should be stocked in ponds/lakes with established bass populations. When grass carp have been in your pond several years and become very large they become sluggish and will not eat as much, therefore, replacing them with new carp is recommended. Grass Carp do not reproduce in ponds or lakes.

Recommended Stocking Rate Per Acre For Grass Carp:

DEGREE OF WEED INFESTATION
Slight: (less than 25%) — 2-5 grass carp
Moderate: (25-50%) — 5-10 grass carp
Heavy: (Over 50% of water covered) — 10-15 grass carp

NOTE: It takes time for grass carp to bring a weed problem under control. Usually you can see results by the second growing season. If not, then you may need to add more carp, up to a maximum recommended rate of 15 fish per acre. Grass Carp (White Amur) is also known as White Buffalo Fish and is good to eat. The bones in their flesh can be removed by properly dressing the fish. Their flesh is firm and flaky with a good flavor.