Bass/Crappie same bed?(Any fish Biologists here)

Started by jgp12000, March 14, 2021, 09:50:38 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

jgp12000

I have a 2 acre pond, it was 85 degrees in GA today and I noticed a lot of activity on one bank.As I got closer there were several large crappie closer to the beds and even more bass in deeper water just watching the show.Do crappie spawn before the bass or vice versa?Also,I did a Secchi disk reading and it did not disappear until 36 inches so I added 4lbs/acre of full stringer fertilizer.I threw in some Zebco Boost feed and saw hundreds of 4 in Bass pigging out.It seems like it's about to be on.I filled up the fish feeder with Purina Aquamax feed to go off after sunrise and before sunset.The pond has bass,bream,crappie,shellcracker,speckle cat,channel cat,bowfin,shiners,and I once caught a redfin pike.It seems like the food chain is good now.I don't catch big numbers like I have in other ponds could it be they have so much to choose from? I just don't want it to get overpopulated.I fish most every day and I have a trap,I know i can't catch them all?

Ron Jones

I'm not a fish biologist, but I know that in the border area of the Colorado river, bass spawn after perch. I would often see adult bass raid perch nests to eat the eggs and always thought they were bulking up for the spawn.

I do not believe that you will get a fully functioning food chain that supports bass in something as small as 2 acres. You will need to either keep feeding or add more forage fish from time to time, and with that many and that variety of fish overfeeding should not be an issue unless you get really crazy. It does seem like you have several species breeding and eating each other, not much better indication of a healthy environment. Great to fish in your back yard, isn't it?

The Man
Ronald Jones
To those who have gone to sea and returned and to those who have gone to sea and will never return
"

philaroman

for a small pond, that's a long list of predators & omnivores w/ predatory tendencies
what do they have to eat, aside from pellets, insects, and each other?
look into your "pure-prey" species abundance & variety...  stock/supplement
whatever soft-rayed Cypriniformes are likely to get established/self-sustaining
golden & common shiners might be a good fit for GA, geographically

Wompus Cat

Not a fishologist either but do know a bit about stock tanks and there are a gob of variables to consider .
Age of tank,Depth, cover (submerged trees .brush,vegetation)
Average water temp spring ,summer ,fall .
Water Sources
Stream fed ,Spring Fed ,tributaries ? run off, or just Rainfall and or irrigation well ?
Here where I live in Central Texas I have actually  seen spawns of various species sometimes 2 or 3 times in a year depending on  water  and level .  Bass Crappie , and Various Bluegills with feed minnows works good here in central Texas on 2 acres or less . I have stocked friends NEW  stock tanks over the last 40 years and start with all small  fry that way they tend to mature closer to the same rate allowing them to all grow together instead of having 10 inch catfish put in with guppie size bass etc  as unless there is substantial cover for the little fellers to hide they get eaten as fast as you put them in .
Have seen tanks put in and within a few years have all kinds of fish even though they were never stocked !
There are formulas to go by to stock New Tanks available in most  States .
If a Grass Hopper Carried a Shotgun then the Birds wouldn't MESS with Him

oc1

Quote from: Wompus Cat on March 15, 2021, 12:57:33 AM
There are formulas to go by to stock New Tanks available in most  States .
Yeah, and in most states there is a pond management specialist in the local fish and game department , the US Soil Conservation Service, and/or the extension services associated with the state's Land Grant University.

LMB usually start spawning a few weeks before crappie.  However, they will often overlap.  It seems a little early yet, but there is stuff they have to do to get ready.