ABOUT BLUEGILL (up to 1000 to the acre for a new pond stocking – to 100 Bass to the acre):
Native and Coppernose Bluegill are the primary food-source for Bass. It’s important to realize that Fathead Minnows do not replace Bluegill in a Bass’s diet.  Bluegill can spawn 3- 6 times a Season and need Bass in the 10 to 1 ratio to keep them in check.  This ratio will help keep Bass well fed.  If you add Fathead Minnows you have a complete triangle of support for Bass.

Baby Bass benefit from Minnows when their mouth size is smaller than available Bluegill sizes.  Bluegill, Catfish, Shellcracker and Crappie all want to eat Minnows, so they are a huge support in a pond or lake, but especially to baby Bass.

Bluegill begin spawning at 3″ in size. They train well to pelleted feed, and they also go after live food – especially Minnows, which should be stocked at 1000 to 2000 to the acre, and restocked yearly for best Bass and Bluegill support.

Coppernose Bluegill were developed from Native Bluegill to get big faster (thereby having fewer eaten by Bass to help them reach spawning size at 3″).

Native Bluegill are more hardy to heat and cold than Coppernose. They will inter-spawn. Having both in your pond can strengthen your Bluegill genetics.

ABOUT HYBRID CRAPPIE (50 to 100 to the acre):
Hybrid Crappie produce a low number of weak offspring. Most of these offspring don’t make it to adult size. For those who really like Crappie, this is the way to have them in your pond. They do not train to feed, and need an established pond with Minnows, frogs, insects and so on.

ABOUT SHELLCRACKER (50 to 100 to the acre):
Shellcracker only spawn once a Season. They eat the parasites that put worms in fish. They have a thicker filet than Bluegill and nice flakey flesh. They do not train to feed, and need an established pond.

CATFISH (50 to 300 to the acre):
Catfish are not recommended in a BASS Pond, because once they reach 1-1/2 to 2 lbs, they can compete with Bass and eat up small Bluegill which are the primary food for Bass.

If you want Catfish in your Bass Pond be sure to put in what you will fish out within 2 years – by 2 lbs.  Once Catfish reach that size, they can eat up small Bluegill and start your Bass starving.  When Bass can’t find small Bluegill and other feeder fish they start to self-cannabalize and then begin to stunt.  Once they stunt they do not recover and reach full size.  The remedy is to fish these stunted Bass out (along with the larger Catfish).  Fish out Bass until you can’t catch them.  Then restock your pond with Bluegill and Minnows and allow the remaining healthy Bass to repopulate your pond or lake.

IS YOUR BASS POND OUT OF BALANCE?
If your pond is already stocked and Bass are easy to catch (and there are few or no small Bluegill or Minnows) you may need to pull it back in order.

To do that, fish down the Bass until you can’t catch them. Throw back any healthy large Bass, but keep any that are easy to catch and looking skinny.  You should fish out Bass until you cannot catch them.  You are aiming for a 10 Bluegill to 1 Bass ratio.  In a new pond, you could stock 1000 Bluegill to 100 Bass per acre.

Make sure you have grass or brush/scrub areas for your small fish to hide in, and then restock your Bluegill and Minnows and allow them to repopulate.

One easy way to provide cover is to cement Christmas Trees in concrete, so that they will stand upright in your pond, and then sink them.  They will last for many years this way (under water).