Subdivision Pond - Shad Lot's Of Them

[Quillback]

We've got gizzard shad in some of the lakes here in Bella Vista. The lakes biologist would love to remove them all. They get too big to provide forage for bass, and they are plankton eating machines to the detriment of all other fish species. Young gizzard shad provide excellent forage, but conditions have to be right for them to spawn and that can be problematic in a pond. You can end up in the exact situation you are describing, lots of big shad and few other species.

Disclaimer: I'm regurgitating what I've heard from the bio.

Threadfin shad are the "good" shad, but subject to winter kill in a small body of water. They also probably won't reproduce in that situation either.

[Hog Wally]

The bio told me not to put crappie in my ten acre lake ? Not too sure I'm on board with all their fancy ideas.

[Gavin]

There is lots of free info on pond management...Crappie & Shad usually aren't the best things to stock in a small pond, and ponds do need harvest. Fathead minnows, bluegill, bass, and catfish is usually the recommended program. Manage for big bluegill or bass..Your choice. Your pond might be good with something completely different though. Buddy of mine used to have two spring fed ponds full of trout near Meramec State Park...some nice crappie in there too.

[Hog Wally]

Bluegill bass catfish--- blah blah blah. Boring. My new lake has had a year to breed millions of minnows trophy size crappie is my ultimate goal. If I can keep bluegill and bass out it will be a perfect lake. I've experimented with many new ponds and lakes I've had built. The most important thing is to give it a year with baitfish only. Then stock your preferred fish. If it's channel cat just throw em in as soon as pond is full of water and start feeding them.

[fishinwrench]

I have known alot of pits and ponds, and I have never seen a good crappie pond that wasn't ALSO a good channel cat hole. Crappie and cats seem to work well together. They may even compliment each other.

I've noticed the same co-existance pattern with BIG bluegill and beavers. A pond/lake with a resident beaver population is almost certain to have big Honker bluegill in it.

[Hog Wally]

Well..... Here's a good pond question. Should bullheads be stocked as a forage fish?

[fishinwrench]

I'm gonna say no. I never understood the desire to stock bullheads at all, anywhere. But a lot of farmers in North Mo. want them in their ponds for some reason ???

[Quillback]

I'd stick to channel cats, much less likely to breed and get out of control in a pond.

[bfishn]

... a lot of farmers in North Mo. want them in their ponds for some reason ???

I grew up on a N Mo farm, 2 of our 5 ponds were scourged with bullheads to the exclusion of everything else. Most folks I knew had the same, but I don't remember anyone liking it. There were times in late summer when nothing in the bass ponds would bite, but you could still have some fun in the bullhead ponds if you were too young to "know better". :-)

[Hog Wally]

When I was a kid the local pond had em in it. It was fun watching bass murder the bait balls of bullhead fry I put them in a exclusive big bass pond I had and I never seen bait balls cause they got murdered so fast. Kids can't hardly take em off the hook They bite and there fins are very dangerous