# crappies



## sabredorsky (Jan 10, 2015)

How many crappies should I put in my pond? It"s 3/4 acres.


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## T-180 (Oct 18, 2005)

Zero. I've had multiple fisheries biologists say no crappies in a pond much under two acres or they'll completely take over & stunt thier growth, and eat everything in sight.


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## Bassbme (Mar 11, 2012)

Definite agreement with T180. Just do an online search for stocking crappie and you'll see what the experts say. If you want to stock crappie you have to really manage their numbers and have plenty of predatory fish to help with numbers control.


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## Salmonid (Apr 14, 2004)

The point here is that Black crappies will do ok in a pond but never and i mean never stock white crappies into a small pond 

My pond is about 3/4 acre and is going on 8 years old and has black crappies in it stocked 3-4" fish in the beginning. Anyways the crappies range in size from small up to several last year in the 13-14" range. They seem to just barely hold there own plus a few fish so the population is just what i was looking for. Same with my yellow perch. I think the key is that i pellet feed, aerate and add 20-40 lbs of fatheads every year. All help keep everyone happy and full. 

What else is in your pond as stated earlier youll need a healthy supply ofbpredators to keep numbers down. My pond has a large amount channel and blue cats in the 5-13 lb range so technically nothing is safe. Lol 

All pond stocking should be heavily considered before pulling the trigger. Just dont bucket stock crappies as they are very hard to tell apart. Buy certified fish from a hatchery

Salmonid


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## percidaeben (Jan 15, 2010)

Black Crappie are fine. But when they reach that size,harvest them.


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## c. j. stone (Sep 24, 2006)

sabredorsky said:


> How many crappies should I put in my pond? It"s 3/4 acres.


From experience with a pond that size, DON'T stock crappie(any color!)! They will multiply like rabbits and you will end up poisoning your pond in the long term to get rid of them stunted lil buggers. Trust me, you will never be able to afford the sustenance/feed they need to prosper. After ten years, they will pretty much have taken over and any other species will dwindle to practically nothing.


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## aquaholic2 (Feb 17, 2010)

c. j. stone said:


> From experience with a pond that size, DON'T stock crappie(any color!)! They will multiply like rabbits and you will end up poisoning your pond in the long term to get rid of them stunted lil buggers. Trust me, you will never be able to afford the sustenance/feed they need to prosper. After ten years, they will pretty much have taken over and any other species will dwindle to practically nothing.


I am not suggesting that anyone else should "try this at home" but I have been bringing both W&B crappies to both my ponds for years and have never seen small/offspring. The only problem I have is that they (and walleyes and perch) don't compete for surface food(bugs) and shallow water (fry) so they don't grow much, even shrink over time. Fun to catch especially thru the ice, AH2


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