Thread: Get crappie and other fish for my pond around Batesville

Originally Posted by Pool13_Jeff

Is the Coop the "Farmers Association" on Booth Road?

Yes

crappie may not be a good idea in small ponds.

NOT a good idea in a small pond.

Originally Posted by D10

NOT a good idea in a small pond.

Matt, could you guys put a shock boat in there and find out what he has in there for him ?

Originally Posted by clfarms1

Matt, could you guys put a shock boat in there and find out what he has in there for him ?

Contact Brett Timmons at the AGFC Regional Office in Jonesboro. He is the fisheries supervisor in that district.

Originally Posted by D10

NOT a good idea in a small pond.

I know you are right on that, Matt, but what is the science behind it? If you don't mind sharing it with us.

Originally Posted by ski trip

I know you are right on that, Matt, but what is the science behind it? If you don't mind sharing it with us.

Generally speaking crappie are not good in small pounds (less than ~4 acres or so) because they are prolific spawners and compete for food with the other fish eater (largemouth bass). Typical ponds are managed with a bluegill or redear or a combination or the two and largemouth bass. The bluegill and redear provide food for the bass. When you also add crappie, there is competition for the forage (bluegill and redear). If you were to substitute the crappie for the bass, the pond would over populated with crappie because nothing is in the pond to keep them in check. Some people also stock channel cats in their pond with the other species. The goal of pond owners is to have a balance fish population in their pond. This results in both good bass and good bluegill. Some pond owners want to catch big bass. To do this you need a low density of bass and a stunted out bluegill population. To get a trophy bluegill pond, you need a low density of bluegill that can grow large enough that they can't get eaten by bass. You also need a high density of bass that are stunted out and small, so that they can't eat the larger bluegill.

With that said, I do know of a few smaller ponds that are around 2 acres that have pretty good looking crappie. The owner of the ponds keep the density of the crappie low by harvesting them heavily every year. He also told me that he has a few flathead in the pond. These pond will probably not be like this forever. The crappie and flathead element will make the population unpredictable from year to year. These will be hard ponds to manage.

Another option that I have read a little about are hybrid triploid crappie. From what I researched, around 50-80% of the crappie that undergo a process become sterile hybrid (white x black) triploid (3 sets of cromosomes) crappie. So the bottom line is that a percent of them being stocked into your pond will be able to reproduce and you could end up having issues down the road.

So in my opinion, I would not stock crappie in a small pond. The good thing is that it is your pond and you can do as you please. Good luck!

Thanks,Matt. That's exactly what I was looking for, the "why" behind what I've always been told, and believed. Makes great sense when you explain it that way. Thanks again.