<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">It is a rare pond that can support walleye and/or crappie. Neither are recommended by Iowa DNR.
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Anything the DNR/government recommends I take with a grain of salt. Some of the best wildlife/fish managers in the country are in the private sector. I like to listen to managers from the DNR and the private sector then decide what management strategy is best for my property to achieve the goals I have. This is the reason I am not going to use government cost share or fish supplied from the Iowa DNR when I build my pond. I don't like being told what I have to do on my property. I wonder how many whitetail managers were saying a few choice words during the last CRP renewal while cutting down some of their best habitat (5-20 year old cedars and brush) that had grown up in their CRP fields.
Below is from Dunns Fish Farms web site.
http://www.dunnsfishfarm.com
"Our consultants have a combined 80 years of experience in the aquaculture industry and are always willing to help. At Dunns Fish Farms, we know our success is directly related to your satisfaction."
"There are two types of crappie that are most common, the Black Crappie and the White Crappie. The Whites are much more prolific than the Black. White Crappie in most cases, take over smaller ponds and lakes. White Crappie should never be stocked in impoundments less than 100 acres.
Black Crappie can be stocked in ponds as small as 1 acre without any concern of overpopulation. Since they don't propagate to the extent that the White Crappie do, you will find the average Black Crappie will grow faster and get larger than the average White Crappie."
"The Black Crappie is a fish that offers an excellent sporting quality, and are even more enjoyable on the table than they are in the pond. These fish will not feed on a commercial feed, but with a good supply of Fathead Minnows and Hybrid Bluegill they will grow at a rate of 1/4 to 1/2 pound per growing season. A large Black Crappie is by far the most attractive sport fish you can have in your pond. When properly managed, this fish will add color to your pond or lake not found in most waters."
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For any pond or lake manager the Fathead Minnows should be the most important fish in their management program. The Fathead Minnow is a plankton feeder, but it will also feed very actively on mosquito larva and on commercial feed. These fish will not get over 3 inches long, so unlike many types of minnows, the Fathead will never turn into a predator. They have a life span of 14 months and will reproduce a minimum of 3 to 4 times before the end of their life cycle. They are very high in protein, insuring a high conversion rate, and they are slow top-water swimmers, so all your sport fish will benefit. These characteristics make this fish perfect for any pond or lake."
"The Fathead Minnow will enhance your pond life in many ways. It will help keep your pond in balance by giving all of your smaller reproduction something to feed on, in turn increasing their survival and growth rates. All of the larger fish will also experience a faster growth rate by feeding on the Fatheads. The better your Fathead Minnow base, the faster everything in your pond will grow. It's almost impossible to overstock on Fatheads, so the more you have, the more your sport fish will benefit."
"When trying to manage any pond or lake the Fathead Minnow will be a tremendous asset to you and your fish. Help keep your pond in balance, put the Fathead Minnow to work for you today."
"If you do not plan to supplement with a commercial fish feed, then you may choose from the following three stocking rates."
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OPTION #4
Black Crappie
100 per surface acre or 150 if you are not stocking Channel Catfish.
Largemouth Bass
100 per surface acre or 150 if you are not stocking Channel Catfish.
Hybrid Bluegill or Coppernose Bluegill
500 per surface acre or 750 if you are not stocking Channel Catfish.
Redear Bream - Optional
200 per surface acre - deterrent to worms
Channel Catfish
400 per surface acre
Fathead Minnows
10 lbs. per surface acre minimum.
Grass Carp (white amur) see below
KOI - Optional
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The guy I mentioned in my previous post said he stocks 2000-4000 fathead minnows annually. He said he had 15" black crappie in 3 years after stocking. He said that all his other species are doing great. His walleye were 12-14 inches long at the time I had talked to him. I have never personally fished his pond so I can't say I have any first hand experience with his fish numbers. Just passing on what he told me.
I think the key to managing crappie or walleye in a pond is to continue stocking minnows to take the pressure off other fish species and to harvest the crappie or walleye that are of eating size.
Another very important thing to remember when building your pond is to put lots of structure in it (tree tops, rock piles, logs, ect) to give prey fish hiding spots to get away from the predator fish.
If you want to just build a pond, stock it, and forget about it then just stick with the bluegill, bass and catfish.
However, if you like to manage everything to try to make it the very best. You can have other fish in your pond. You just have to aggressively manage your pond like you do your whitetails. Reguardless of what type of fish you decide to stock in your pond. Remember to take some kids fishing with you so they can enjoy it also. /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/cool.gif
