Crappie

[FishinCricket]

What in the heck happened to those crappies in that pond Fishincricket? Is there a nuclear power plant near by? I’ve never seen crappies like that before. I don’t think I should put crappies like that in the pond. They must have a bad gene thing going on. Maybe the pond started off with one male and one female and they have been breeding back on each other for years? At any rate those are definitely hillbilly crappies. I better pass on those!

Not really sure what's wrong with them, but the ones that looked like that were concentrated in one school under one particular tree overhanging the pond..

That's why I kept the picture, they're weird looking..

[Bird Watcher]

You Yankees sure are hard headed sometimes. That's what I was trying to tell you back on post#2.

Now a pond stocked with triploid crappies...That would be awesome.

[FishinCricket]

You Yankees sure are hard headed sometimes. That's what I was trying to tell you back on post#2.

Now a pond stocked with triploid crappies...That would be awesome.

Hey, I resemble that remark! lol

[Buckshotdad1960]

Wow! Chris your right!

Man, we didn’t know!

We thought you were Al Quadda!

When did the Reb’s learn to read and write? LOL

[Buckshotdad1960]

These triploids may be the wave of the future but I wonder what they will end up costing. Since they don’t reproduce on their own they will have to be replaced every 3-5 years or so. Sooner if like in a situation like mine where I have no control over the pond they would be stocked in, thus allowing anyone to deplete them.

White crappies lay between 60,000 and 100,000 eggs per breeding pair compared to black crappie that lay around 30,000 per breeding pair. Stocking black crappies would reduces the over population problem by half then. Stocking a few male carp would reduce the problem further by eating up some of eggs on the beds. Having the pond stocked with bass would reduce the ones that the carp don’t get and of course you would still be left with a few that get to grow up and reproduce again. Sure the carp would no doubt muddy the pond and eat other game fish eggs like bass, bluegill and so on.

I noticed in a near by creek, that when the pumpkinseed spawn they are plagued with a couple different kinds of minnows that look for any opportunity to sneak in on the beds and devour any eggs they can get. So certain kinds of minnows could be introduced into the pond to help hold down the crappie population instead of carp. Can the creek minnows live in the warmer waters of the pond and reproduce? I don’t know. But it is an option worth looking into.

What if (if in the case of bigger ponds) you introduced some heavy weight predators like channel cats, flatheads, pike, musky and walleyes as well as some gar? There hast to be a self sustaining balance here some where if you throw in enough different kinds of predators. Anything that can live in a river can live in a pond I would think.

[FishinCricket]

Anything that can live in a river can live in a pond I would think.

not that I would be any authority on this, but my marine biologist friends says this is a very incorrect assumption. Water temps alone can make a difference in what can and cannot be stocked in a pond... Then there are a billion other factors to consider...

[Bird Watcher]

alright look, obviously you are going to fry your brain on this. It's all been studied and had volumes written about it. Just google search it, or better yet, talk to an actual fisheries biologist instead of asking all of us ignorant, laymen fisherman for advice. I've already read it, I know what it says, but if you think you can reacreate the wheel, or in this case small impoundment crappie population dynamics, then go for it.

Don't read anything into the above Yank, no ill intent meant here, but I can tell you have your heart set on it. Only one thing to do in that situation..go try for yourself. Good luck with it. I hope it works out for ya. Not to say that I haven't fished a pond or two in my life that had nice crappie in them.. I have. But I have fished a lot more overun with crappie like the one Cricket posted a picture of. I hope you get the right balance figured out.

[Buckshotdad1960]

Fishincricket,

I believe your right on that. Water temperature is a very important factor here. Starting in the spring and through the warm summer months I’m going to take temperature readings every few days in the pond and get a feel for how warm it gets in different places. Over the long term this can help me decide what might live in the pond when introduced. I’ll put my kayak to good use and test my theory that the pond being spring feed will be warm at the shore and cold in the deep parts. I love smallmouth bass and have placed quit a few in the pond already. So I hope the pond stays cool enough in the deep to sustain them in the summer. Also, I had forgotten since it was three years ago when we did it, (my son reminded me) from a near by spring feed creek one day we caught 5 wild rainbow trout and put them in the pond. These trout are capable of reproducing so if they lived perhaps it will be because of the colder deeper water as well. Last Friday and Saturday night I fished the pond. Both nights I got there about 20 minutes before dark. And by dark I mean dark enough to not be able to see to tie on a hook. The first night, I caught 3 large green sun fish and a 3lb large mouth bass. The second night, I caught 9 large green sun fish and had a hit that striped some line off then broke my 4lb triline xl. I was using my crappie rod and tub jigs. I sat down unable to tie back on and wondered what it could have been. After 3 years of stocking the pond not only are there signs of life still in it but improvement as well. I find it funny that I have put hundreds of mature goggle eye and pumpkin seed in it and yet have never again caught any. I only know of one person who has caught a goggle eye there. He is a resident that lives near by and fishes the pond a lot. He showed me a picture on his phone one day and asked me if I knew what kind of fish it was. It was a goggle eye about a half pound. He has a kayak and pointed to a spot about 2 casts off shore where he said he found hundreds of circles on the bottom close to each other like the place had been bombed. You and I both know these are beds. Whether they are bluegill, red ear, or goggle eye I can not say. But I’m convinced their still alive. Why you can’t catch them from the shore is a mystery though.

[Buckshotdad1960]

WOW!

Ok, note to self:

Never let Chris be in charge of throwing a birthday party for one of Jerry’s kids!

I can just hear him now:

Alright look kid, you’re never going to walk again so just crawl back up in your wheel chair and wipe the spit off your chin! Google Polio and get with the program. I don’t want to hear you whining I can’t feel my legs any more! LOL

Well, I’m gonna Google and I’m gonna Google. Then I’ll Google some more! And I’m gonna have some crappies in that pond no matter what it takes! I don’t consider you or anyone else here ignorant. I need to hear the WHY NOT so I can figure out the HOW TOO! I may be a mad scientist hell bent on making a Frankenstein but my monster will have a kind heart and be afraid of fire! Yeah, and when you hear me yell, it’s alive! It’s alive! Be afraid! Be very afraid! You’ll have to tie yourself to a tree to fish this pond! That’s right! And don’t forget to bring your pitch fork!

When you read the no swimming sign take it seriously! Because I’ll put sharks in there if I have too! If they can’t handle the job I’ll post pictures all around the pond of my mother in law! That will keep the fish sterile! So don’t tell me it can’t be done! LOL I just seen a picture of the Missouri state record crappie and guess what? It came out of a pond!

Don't read anything into the above Reb, no ill intent meant here! I can see the south is trying to rise again, but don’t worry; if it does we’ll let you win this time! We’ve learned our lesson! LOL

Thanks for the thumbs up. I have a feeling I’m going to need all the luck I can get!

[FishinCricket]

See, now were having fun yall...

Buckshot, any chance of talking you into stocking hammerhead sharks and Grouper? I always wanted to catch one of those.. Or ride one.