Bull Shoals Nursery Pond Produces Bumper Crop of Crappie


The 2024 Bull Shoals Nursery Pond fish production began in March when staff stocked 219 adult Black Crappie into the nursery pond. The adult crappie in the pond spawned, producing a bumper crop of small fish known as fry. Staff added Fathead Minnows to the pond to provide plenty of forage for the growing crappie. The crappie fry thrived, growing in an environment rich in food and with few predators. In early August, staff seined the pond and discovered abundant crappie fingerlings, ranging from 1.3 to 3.7 inches in length. Seine hauls also revealed adult and juvenile Fathead Minnows and Mosquito Fish, indicating successful forage reproduction alongside the crappie. On August 8th, staff opened the pond gate, releasing an estimated 300,000 fingerling crappie (average size = 2 inches) into the West Sugarloaf arm of Bull Shoals Lake. These crappie should grow to harvestable size (10 inches) in about 3 years.


Subsample of Black Crappie from the Bull Shoals Nursery Pond before stocking (avg. size = 2 inches)


Bull Shoals Lake Nursery Pond full of water during the 2024 production year.