# Cool fish for a pond



## LilSiman/Medina (Nov 30, 2010)

10 years ago my .9 acre pond (12ft max. 6 ft avg.) was re dug and we stocked it with red ears, bluegills, hybrids, large mouths and channels. Channels are around 25'', large mouths are up too 20'' and panfish are up to 14''. 

We put some mature small mouths in there about 3 months ago and they are doing fine. My oldest brother wants to put koi carp in there and I want too put crappie in there. I was also thinking something else like pickerel or a fish like that. Pike and Musky are out because of the small range. Any suggestions?


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## Lundy (Apr 5, 2004)

If you have panfish up to 14" I wouldn't change a thing personally.

If you do put crappie in make sure you put in black crappie only.

Maybe some hybrids stripers would add a little excitment to your pond for you.


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## ClickerCrazy (Feb 4, 2006)

I'd be really carefull with the Koi. I've seen several ponds ruined by Koi overpopulation. We drug one pond several years ago and we got times and got thousands of them. Literally took over a 1/3acre lake. I agree with the hybrid stripers. You might try some yellow perch, they do really well in ponds.


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## hang_loose (Apr 2, 2008)

ClickerCrazy, I'm curious as to what kind of predator fish were in with the Koi?


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## KWaller (Oct 3, 2010)

i will have to disagree with Lundy on type of crappie, however i have seen black crappie In ponds, out of the two the white crappie prefers stationary waters that don't have as much oxygen and they also prefer muddy or clay bottoms as well. but i do see people put black crappie In ponds, i'm just saying white crappie may be a lil more successful.

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## [email protected] (Dec 22, 2006)

White vs. Black crappie. Blacks don't tend to overpopulate and stunt nearly as often as white crappie. Their success is their weakness in most ponds but could do OK in a pond a LilSiman described with existing large predators. I would tend to err on the safety side of blacks as they do well in ponds too. Over both, I'm with Lundy that hybrid stripers would be a better choice overall unless the crappie are a high priority for personal interest.

Keep in mind that whether crappie or wipers, bass and large cats will need to be reduced to offset an additional predator or forage increased. 

No Koi. I'd maybe try a couple of tiger musky over grass pickeral...they stay pretty small.


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## ClickerCrazy (Feb 4, 2006)

Hang Loose, 
there were bass and crappie in the lake also, but the koi litterally took over the pond. We added 10 1 1/2lb large mouths after dragging and removing the hundreds of small Koi. That was over a year ago, and the pond is still a mud hole. My guess is we could drag it again and get the same results as last time. Not saying that it will not work, just saying the cost and time spent on fixing the problem would be better put towards another direction.


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## hang_loose (Apr 2, 2008)

ClickerCrazy, Try WE. Sometimes this site won"t let me post what I type. Good luck buddy!!!

I had to hurry and type this


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## Lundy (Apr 5, 2004)

Kwaller,

Please do a little more reading and research on stocking ponds.

Suggesting white crappie for a pond of less than 1 acre is a recipe for potential disaster.


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## KWaller (Oct 3, 2010)

Lundy said:


> Kwaller,
> 
> Please do a little more reading and research on stocking ponds.
> 
> Suggesting white crappie for a pond of less than 1 acre is a recipe for potential disaster.


I'm just going off basic lake knowledge, a black crappie is like a smallmouth and roams a lot. White crappie prefer soft bottoms and stationary waters. I've caught many white crappie in ponds and nothing was wrong with those ponds...

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## Lundy (Apr 5, 2004)

I am not saying a white crappie can't survive well in a pond, they certainly can and do, just saying you won't find any hatcheries or state biologists recommending white crappie in a small pond. 

The risk of over population and detrimental effects on the other species just doesn't justify the potentail reward. Very hard to reverse if it goes wrong and there is a well established history of problems with white crappie in ponds.


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## KWaller (Oct 3, 2010)

on the other hand, i wouldn't think that hybrid stripers would live too good there, i dont know much about them though :/

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## [email protected] (Dec 22, 2006)

I've seen the effects of white crappie on about 9 ponds ranging from .4 to 1.5 acres. All had a very high population of skinny 5-7" crappie and also very small bass. All of these ponds were not being managed for fish but weeds were being managed with chemicals and grass carp. One of these ponds, about 3/4 acre, produced a near state record white crappie about 10 years ago. This particular pond received a constant flow of water from a small creek and now is nearly completely silted in. I'm not saying white crappie can't work but the risk isn't worth stocking them. Black crappie are a little questionable too but would probably work fine in a 1 acre, especially one being actively managed.

Hybrid stripers do well in ponds with no chance of overpopulating as they do not reproduce.


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## hang_loose (Apr 2, 2008)

If you could afford to dump enough minnows in all year, I think they would do fine. You might get tired eating those crappies after a while.

Remember crappie spawn earlier than most of your other pond fish. That gives them a head start on growth and eating the other fry.


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## LilSiman/Medina (Nov 30, 2010)

My bad! Hybrid bluegills! Not those real "hybrids"


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## t.stuller (Feb 25, 2010)

hang_loose said:


> If you could afford to dump enough minnows in all year, I think they would do fine. You might get tired eating those crappies after a while.
> 
> *Remember crappie spawn earlier than most of your other pond fish. That gives them a head start on growth and eating the other fry*.


I have a pond also and have been told this by numerous people. I have to say I agree with it.


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## BigTripp (Oct 1, 2010)

Especially with the results you're getting I would stay away from crappie in a pond that size. I have a 5 acre pond and some crappie were washed in from upstream the last time it flooded. They've proliferated and they're about the only thing you catch fall through spring. We've got some real monsters (up to 15.5 inches) but now the bluegill are really stunted and it seems like the average bass size has taken a hit. I know it's fun to change it up and target different species but I would keep what you have and not mess with a good thing.


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## [email protected] (Dec 22, 2006)

The best answer if you really want crappie to stock in a small pond is triploid crappie. Unfortunately they're not readily available...yet. 

Here's the latest article I've found:
http://www.ms-sportsman.com/printer_friendly.php?id=1755

I would like to think the market will grow for triploids as the management advantages are huge for those who want to grow trophy size fish or want variety with little risk. I think that the number of pond owners that are interested more in sport than meat has been on the rise for some time. I can't remember the last time someone asked how to grow the most pounds of fish or the best tasting fish for the table...the questions are always how to grow larger fish.

Imagine having a pond stocked with female only largemouth/crappie/perch that turn the energy normally spent on reproduction into growth and with no chance of overpopulation and overeating the forage base.


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