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What Specie of Fish Should I Stock?
Lake(s)
in this content also refers to ponds or any other type of water
impoundment stocked for recreational fishing.
The choice
of fish to stock depends on your stocking goals and budget. Years
of experimentation have shown 3 fish species are best suited for
Missouri lakes: largemouth bass, bluegill and channel catfish.
Largemouth Bass
Bluegill
Channel Catfish
These
species are popular among most anglers and biologically adapt to a
wide variety of conditions. This combination, often referred to as
traditional stocking, is the most widely used and requires
the least amount of management. The beauty of this stocking
combination is its simplicity. Microscopic animals (zooplankton)
and various aquatic insects and their larvae provide food for bass
fry and all sizes of bluegill. The bluegill will reproduce and
provide a food chain for larger bass. If bass are not
over-harvested, they will control the numbers of bluegill and
prevent bluegill from overpopulating. Some bluegill will survive
bass predation and grow large enough to provide good bluegill
fishing. If properly managed, bass and bluegill need only an
initial stocking as their natural spawning success is adequate to
maintain sufficient numbers. Channel catfish are regarded as a
bonus fish in lakes because they provide quality angling and
additional meat. Channel catfish are an omnivorous feeder,
consuming both plant and animal material. Channel catfish do not
normally maintain a population by natural reproduction in lakes
due to the predation of the eggs and young catfish by bass, other
fish and predators such as birds, frogs, snakes and turtles.
Therefore, supplemental restocking of 8” or larger catfish is
required to sustain a fishable population. Our 8-12” channel
catfish are very popular for restocking into bass populations.
Most
stocking strategies require predator fish to keep reproduction in
balance, especially if the stocking objective is to grow large
fish. Largemouth bass are usually the recommended predator fish for
stocking in Missouri lakes. Its reputation as a sport fish is
without rival and largemouth bass have the ability to adapt to a
wide range of water parameters. Many Missouri lakes have few
trophy largemouth bass because they do not have enough food items of
the right size for bass to eat. For a bass to gain one pound of
flesh, it must eat 6 to 10 pounds of food. In lakes where the food
is inadequate, bass get enough food to stay alive, but they grow
slowly, never reaching their size potential. Bass growth can be
greatly enhanced by increasing the types, sizes and amounts of food
items. This is one reason why initial stocking of prey fish is so
important. The MDC publishes an Aquaguide titled: Managing Your
Pond for Trophy Largemouth Bass. If your stocking objective for
your lake is to produce trophy bass, we highly recommend you obtain
a copy of this Aquaguide.
Additional Species
Many people
wish to stock other fish species to diversify their fishery. The
following are the more popular species.
Fathead
Minnows are stocked in lakes and allowed to reproduce several
times prior to stocking bass fingerlings. Fatheads rarely exceed 3"
and are slow swimmers. They become sexually mature when they reach
1-2" and reproduce several times a year laying approximately 250
eggs per spawn; those that escape predation produce as many as 2,000
(or more) offSpring in one season. Fatheads provide a single-season
boost for most species of fish and usually disappear after a year or
two of predation.
Golden
Shiners
are another excellent food source for growing trophy bass. What is
unique about the golden shiner is they can grow to 10" (or more) in
length. If 2-4" golden shiners are included during initial Spring
stocking, they will be too large for Spring stocked fingerling bass to
eat. Reproduction from these initially stocked golden shiners will
provide an additional food source for several years. Eventually the
larger golden shiners will satisfy the appetite of large bass. The
recommended stocking rate for initial stocking is 200 to 300 2-4”
shiners per surface acre; restock the same numbers of 2-4”, or
larger, golden shiners every to 2 to 3 years.
Hybrid
Bluegill
are an
excellent choice, especially when the stocking objective includes
large bluegill or to provide fishing for impatient children (or
adults). Hybrid bluegill are a cross between two sunfish species.
The most popular and successful cross is the green sunfish female x
male bluegill. These hybrids grow larger and faster than the true
bluegill but the difference is slight when not feeding a commercial
fish food. Hybrid bluegill have a larger mouth than true bluegill
and readily consume fish food as their primary diet, however, when
not feeding, hybrids will eventually grow larger than bluegill. One
to 2 pound hybrid bluegill are not uncommon. Hybrids are more
aggressive in their feeding habits and are much easier to catch than
most other sunfish. Since a large portion of the hybrid population
(80% or more) is male, they will not reproduce enough offSpring to
provide an adequate food chain for the normal bass stocking
recommendations. University research indicates hybrid bluegill have
the potential to grow to 3 to 4 lbs. Be wary of exaggerated
claims of superior fast-growing hybrids growing to 3 1/2 - 4 lbs. in
two or three growing seasons. Hybrid bluegill should not be
stocked alone with a large bass population.
Redear
Sunfish
help prevent
grubs in fish. Have you heard fishermen complain about worms in
fish flesh? Technically speaking, what fishermen are seeing are
generally either tapeworms, black, yellow or white grubs. Redear
sunfish, also referred to as shell crackers, feed on aquatic animal
life not consumed by other fish and help to reduce snail
populations, which are the required hosts in the life cycle of the
grubs. For more information, obtain a copy of MDC's Aquaguide:
What's Bugging My Fish? An Aquaguide to Parasites in Fish.
Redear
inhabit the deeper waters and seldom feed on the surface, as do
other sunfish; as a result fishing for redear sunfish requires
special fishing techniques. If sufficient food is available, redear
can grow to 12” in length. The world record redear weighed a little
over 5 pounds. Redear rarely convert to feeding on a commercial
fish food, which limits production by fish farmers. Due to supply
and demand and the time it takes to grow them, larger redear sunfish
are more expensive than other sunfish. If redear are desired,
it's more cost effective to stock smaller sized redear during
initial stocking than to wait until you have a grub problem.
Crappie:
Although both black and white crappie are very popular as a sport
fish with anglers, they often pose management challenges in small
lakes. Usually one of two conditions develops when they are stocked
in small impoundments. They either live and grow to a large size
without reproducing or they reproduce and survive in great numbers
and the lake becomes overpopulated with small, slow growing crappie
that are of an unacceptable size. Since crappie reproduce earlier
than bass and bluegill, they have a jump on the natural food chain
(primarily zooplankton), affecting bluegill and bass fry growth.
Due to their tendency to overpopulate, crappie are not normally
recommended for stocking into smaller sized lakes unless you are
willing to manage them. Here are a few management tips and
guidelines that may help reduce risks of crappie overpopulation in
small lakes.
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Successful management of crappie in small lakes requires fairly
clear water, rooted aquatic plants around the shoreline, plenty
of food and sufficient numbers of adult largemouth bass to
control the number of young crappie.
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Since
crappie are carnivorous and compete with bass for space and
food, supplemental periodic stocking of recommended prey fish
may be required to sustain both bass and crappie growth.
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Crappie,
bass, bluegill and other prey fish are all sight-feeders.
Before even considering stocking crappie in any small
impoundment, verify that the lake will be relatively clear most
of the time. This means you should be able to see a light
colored object in 24" of water, except during brief periods (a
few days) following a heavy rainSpring. If this condition does
not exist, crappie may not be able to see what they intend to
eat and too many young crappie will escape the sight-feeding
predator fish, resulting in overpopulation of crappie.
If you are
seriously considering stocking crappie, we suggest you obtain a copy
of MDC's Aquaguide: Managing Crappie in Small Impoundments.
Other fish
species
that have
been stocked in smaller lakes often compete for the natural food and
space and have met with limited success. Walleye, a cool water
specie, does not grow well in the warmer water found in most of
Missouri's smaller impoundments and are unlikely to reproduce.
Yellow perch have a tendency to overpopulate if there is
insufficient predator fish, and therefore are not generally
recommended for stocking. Smallmouth bass and other stream fish
have been tried but usually fail in some way to produce good fishing
results. Additional management efforts will be required if you
decide to stock any of these fish species; however, we do sell some
of these species. For additional information contact us.
Species to
avoid
in small lakes include:
green sunfish, flathead catfish, common carp and suckers, bullhead
catfish and gizzard shad. Green sunfish, frequently called pond
perch, creek perch or black perch, tend to overpopulate and compete
with bass and other fish for many food items. Flathead catfish are
extremely voracious and can grow to a large size, feeding on all
fish including large bass. Common carp, suckers and bull head
catfish, also called mud cat or yellow bellies, tend to overpopulate
and their feeding habits may muddy the lake water. Gizzard shad
often overpopulate and can ruin a lake fishery in more ways than
one.
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