# What to stock our lake with - Mallard Lake Club



## Bassnducks (Jan 6, 2014)

Our Private Lake is thriving, plenty of smaller fish 1-2 lbs Bass. We are consistently catching 3-5 lbs fish. Several 6, 7, and 8 lbs as well. 
We would like to thin some smaller fish out and feed the larger ones, looking for advice.
We have about 200 acres of water and a great habitat. Average water depth is about 6-8' Wondering if anyone can chime in regarding a fish biologist, what to stock and what to pull out. We are considering Bluegill and Tilapia, however if we have a cold winter later this year - we would lose our investment with the Tilapia.
Guess were looking for a good biologist and a fish farm, any advice?

CD
www.mallardlakeclub.com
@mallardlakeclub


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## Meadowlark (Jul 19, 2008)

That old saying "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" comes to mind. Sounds like you are doing things right. 

If you want more forage for the bass, consider stocking threadfin shad....assuming you are located south of Dallas. They should take hold and provide you with lots of additional forage. 

Tilapia die off every winter here but they are well worth stocking nonetheless. Your "investment" in them will provide tons of forage as well as excellent algae control. Another option for forage, if you really want to super charge the bass, is rainbow trout. I've used them in the past and the bass absolutely love 'em. Its a little pricey but they will add pounds to your bass. 

You probably already have bluegills there but if I were adding any it would definitely be copper nosed variety. They are excellent for reproduction and growth.


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## schoalbeast101 (Oct 23, 2014)

I have read and heard that taking 20-30 pounds per acre per year is necessary to keep the size of the bass in your pond up. When I was a kid I fished a farm pond in Iowa that was at least 50 acres that hardly anyone fished. It had crappie, Pike, Bass, and bluegills. All fish were stunted and it was a shame. We caught 12 to 14 inch bass on every cast on bettle spins but never anything larger. I guess we were the only ones that ever took any fish out. I try and manage a 5 acre tank now. My BIL put too many grass carp in and they ate all the vegetation (not good). Fishing is pretty good for numbers but i usually only catch 1 fish over 2 pounds. I have fished tanks where fish averaged 3 to 4 pounds with a good management system. Lesson is unless you have a ton of money to feed all the fish you have to take the smaller ones under 14" out each year. this way the remaining fish will have more to eat and not stunt.


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## Swampus (Sep 1, 2005)

Pappa said "If you can stick ur' fist in it's mouth Tho it on the bank."

swamp .02


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## Ready.Fire.Aim (Sep 22, 2009)

I buy a box of Shiner fry every spring. About $200 for 1 million fry. 
Order ASAP, they ship soon.

http://www.andersonminnows.com/index.htm

Also I buy Tilipia occasionally. They will overwinter in all but the coldest winter. 
I bought from Danbury fish farms.

I have also caught shad in a cast net and stocked them.

I have a pier with a light, it is cool to see the baitfish under the light. 
I have 5 big bass that live under the dock just to kill the baitfish.


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## pYr8 (Apr 17, 2012)

Good advice here from the pros! Also fish it regularly and cull some smaller fish. Large drops of a certain species/age/size can upset the balance you appear to have for going. If y'all are having decent success on bigger fish, only doing an electro on the impoundment would lead to the empirical data needed.


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## Fitzgerald (Nov 11, 2013)

I manage one of our lakes for fishing. It is a 25 acre lake near Trinity, Texas. My goal is to produce good numbers of Texas native bass (not Florida strain) over 10 pounds with a management plan that is sustainable, time-efficient and inexpensive. I began my formal management plan following the effects of the drought on our fishery.

I am an oilfield engineer by education and not a biologist and I can tell you this - done right - it is complicated! But if you take on the task to learn it and see the results you'll probably love it. But if you don't enjoy learning something new and complex and working hard to achieve what you envision, then I say up front, hire one of the experts in this field like 'Pond Boss, Inc'. I have studied hundreds of articles available on the internet and put in the time at the lake to understand and get it right and it is (for me) very satisfying to see measured progress. We now have a sustainable fishery that (for now) does not require much more than monitoring progress and selective harvest of fish.

The complexity is not only in understanding the biology of the fish species, their needs, water chemistry, stocking, harvest, balance ratios, etc; but, even before that you need to define the high level objectives you desire (eg, fish species, sizes, budget, time to dedicate, etc). Then match that with the expectations of the other users/stakeholders in the lake. 

It is my opinion that the way for you to approach your lake management project is not to take various isolated and half-baked ideas off of 2Cool and try them (eg, 'buy tilapia!', buy 'rainbow trout' - hahaha). You will go broke and go nowhere. But you must either with a professional or with your own learned approach put together a measured and balanced comprehensive plan that matches your current situation and realistic aims.

Basically you will focus on three key elements. You must do that. They are, in order: habitat, food chain, and harvest. Get them out of order, don't expect great fish. Habitat, first. Focus on that. Next, food chain. If you feed them, they will grow. Last, and probably the most important, once everything else is in place, is proper harvest.

Good luck,
Mark


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## Meadowlark (Jul 19, 2008)

Fitzgerald said:


> ....It is my opinion that the way for you to approach your lake management project is not to take various isolated and half-baked ideas off of 2Cool and try them (eg, 'buy tilapia!', buy 'rainbow trout' - hahaha). You will go broke and go nowhere.
> ...


 Typical arrogant, know it all response from a Pond Boss type. Tilapia is not a "half baked idea" . I pioneered the use of it in bass ponds in Texas many years ago...and they are now a major cottage industry in Texas and recognized by so called "experts" as one of the top management tools available to the pond manager. As a matter of fact, my work was published in Pond Boss magazine many years ago where many of the so called experts were converted to see the benefits of this great pond fish.

I laughed out loud at your comments on rainbow trout, again, an arrogant, unfounded comment. Rainbows added to a pond will increase bass weights significantly in one season. It raised my bass from the 10 pound category to the 12 pound and up levels. No, it isn't cheap, just depends on your priorities in life. One of mine is not to dismiss, out of hand ,ideas that may further the knowledge base of all of us who love this activity. Hahaha.


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## Csafisher (Nov 16, 2010)

What about crawfish? How do those work? I've heard the have a high protein content


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## FISHROADIE (Apr 2, 2010)

Fitzgerald said:


> I manage one of our lakes for fishing. It is a 25 acre lake near Trinity, Texas. My goal is to produce good numbers of Texas native bass (not Florida strain) over 10 pounds with a management plan that is sustainable, time-efficient and inexpensive. I began my formal management plan following the effects of the drought on our fishery.
> 
> I am an oilfield engineer by education and not a biologist and I can tell you this - done right - it is complicated! But if you take on the task to learn it and see the results you'll probably love it. But if you don't enjoy learning something new and complex and working hard to achieve what you envision, then I say up front, hire one of the experts in this field like 'Pond Boss, Inc'. I have studied hundreds of articles available on the internet and put in the time at the lake to understand and get it right and it is (for me) very satisfying to see measured progress. We now have a sustainable fishery that (for now) does not require much more than monitoring progress and selective harvest of fish.
> 
> ...


Thats cool you are raising native Texas bass. People don't realize that when florida strain bass get bigger and wiser they do not bite lures. I have fished lake Okeechobee florida many time all the large bass are caught on very large minnows. Stocking rainbow trout sound like a waist of money to me to. I wish TPW and wild life would get on the case of stocking native large mouths, people would catch more of them than florida strain large mouths.


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## Meadowlark (Jul 19, 2008)

Csafisher said:


> What about crawfish? How do those work? I've heard the have a high protein content


 They do have a high protein content...but they have some downsides in a pond.

Sometimes they can actually burrow holes into and through a pond dam. That can mean significant damage and $$

So they have good news and bad news....personally I won't risk it in my ponds and only have whatever occurs naturally.


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## Sgrem (Oct 5, 2005)

Take little bass and big bream out. Fertilize for algae bloom. Crystal clear water turns a lake bad cuz nothing can hide to get big enough to sustain big bass. Want that algae bloom.....in moderation. Tilapia!


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## Meadowlark (Jul 19, 2008)

Fitzgerald said:


> .....It is my opinion that the way for you to approach your lake management project is not to take various isolated and *half-baked ideas* off of 2Cool and try them (eg, 'buy tilapia!', buy 'rainbow trout' - hahaha). You will go broke and go nowhere. ...


Here you go Fitzgerald...try these half-baked bass caught this morning in about 30 minutes from one of my ponds....raised on Tilapia and copper nose bluegills...and there's plenty more and larger where those came from, LOL.


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## Ready.Fire.Aim (Sep 22, 2009)

Meadowlark's advice on Rainbow trout shouldn't be dismissed. 

The largest black bass in the USA are consistently caught in southern CALIFORNIA. They stock those lakes with rainbow trout. 

A great forage fish that don't have large dorsal fins.

I stock my lake with tilapia and shiners for forage. Been doing it for 10+ years. I am trying to raise large bass and monster blue catfish. 

Alligators are my biggest problem........


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## pYr8 (Apr 17, 2012)

Rainbows are high protein but can only be used in colder months around here except for small feedings. They'll belly up quick in warm water...

Big craw/prawns will grow em big, but can get pricey...

Bream are always on a bass' radar & fairly easy to maintain. Snakes are nutritious too but it's a PITA keeping them in the water!

Oh, chunkin a bunch of rodents (mice & rats) out on the water in the vegetation from time to time would make the bass happy


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## Meadowlark (Jul 19, 2008)

Ready.Fire.Aim said:


> Meadowlark's advice on Rainbow trout shouldn't be dismissed.
> 
> The largest black bass in the USA are consistently caught in southern CALIFORNIA. They stock those lakes with rainbow trout.
> 
> ...


Exactly. Rainbows are the perfect bass food. I only stocked them one winter...and let me tell you it was a slaughter out there in the ponds. The bass absolutely loved them.

Large bass and monster blues in the same pond? That would require tons of forage. How large have you grown blues in your pond?

Folks interested in Tilapia might want to read the article I published several years ago: http://www.boatcycle.com/tilapia.php

I'm looking to put a private waters bass in the "ShareLunker program" with TP&W next year. I have one bass that is about 12.5 pounds post spawn and with luck will make it into the program next year....if I can catch her.


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## Ready.Fire.Aim (Sep 22, 2009)

Meadowlark said:


> Large bass and monster blues in the same pond? That would require tons of forage. How large have you grown blues in your pond?


My pond is a 10 acre oxbow that was drained and deepened to 15' about 20 years ago.

Biggest bass has been 6 pounds 4 oz. Not a monster but big to my eyes, nothing like your double digit fish. Caught by my dad before he passed away, on a live crawdad. 
Blues up to 31 pounds so far. They come in groups to the dock to eat pellets.

Alligators are my biggest detriment. I legally harvested a 12' 3" 750 from it 2 years ago.
I currently have 2 move in, one 8 footer hangs out in my backyard.

I use tilapia and shiners as an augment. Lake is populated with bluegills, crappie, gambusia, and fathead minnows. Also lake has a lot of coontail so freshwater shrimp are well established.

I am far enough south that tilapia over winter. There are enough to keep an Osprey and occasional bald eagle busy all winter fishing when the tilapia get sluggish in the shallows. I have a large cottonwood in my backyard they perch in. Seeing the osprey dive on the water is impressive.

Have fun
RFA


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## Meadowlark (Jul 19, 2008)

That's totally cool all around. Not having to re-stock Tilapia every year would be a blessing...and those fresh water shrimp are tremendously valuable to a fishery. 


Like old Troy says "Shoot 'em"


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