NEW IDEAS FOR THE OLD FARM POND

Article Tools

Image Gallery

Print

E-mail

Comments

RSS

Rock bass (Ambloplites rupestris): As its name suggests, the rock bass prefers a stony bottom . .. it won't thrive when raised over a bed of mud. Like the crappies, the rock bass occupies a niche between the sunfishes and the larger basses. In its natural habitat, this species is a frequent associate of the smallmouth bass, but the pairing is best avoided in farm pond fish culture. Rock bass are easy to catch and do well in cool-water ponds . . . but on all other counts the smallmouth bass is the superior candidate. My guess is that every pound of rock bass produced means one pound less of potential smallmouth bass.

Bullheads: In my opinion, the flavor of these small catfish is unsurpassed among the North American freshwater fishes. As bottom feeders, bullheads aren't serious competitors of any of the other farm pond fish mentioned above . . . but in a small, shallow body of water, a dense population of bullheads — with their constant rooting — will cause considerable turbidity, to the detriment of other species. And as with most of the smaller farm pond fishes, bullheads must be heavily harvested to prevent stunting. It's even more difficult to control a bullhead population by angling than it is to keep up with a bluegill or crappie population, but — unlike the centrarchid fishes — bullheads are easy to catch in traps.

Of this fish's several species, the brown bullhead (Ictalurus nebulosus) is the best for farm pond culture. A promising stocking system involves the substitution of the brown bullhead for the bluegill, with the channel catfish playing the role of the largemouth bass.

FORAGE FISH

Some species commonly raised as bait "minnows" may be stocked in the farm pond as forage for predator fish. This practice should not be confused with actual bait fish culture, however: It's simply not possible to produce a lot of bait minnows in a pond stocked with predatory fish!

The main benefit of stocking forage fish is that by doing so you can produce large predators in less time than would be required if panfish were the only available food source. The trade-off is that, since most predators will prefer a soft-bodied, streamlined minnow to a dish-shaped, spiny mouthful (such as a bluegill), stocking forage fish increases the danger of stunting your bluegills. Most forage fish are also to some degree competitive with the panfish for food.

Popular bait fishes: Two readily available bait fish that are well adapted for use as forage fish are the golden shiner (Notemigonus crysoleucas) and the fathead minnow or "tufy" (Pimephales promelas). The latter species rarely exceeds four inches in length, and while the golden shiner will occasionally reach as much as ten inches, it isn't worth catching for eating.

RSS | Comments | E-mail | Print