What Fish Would You And The Kids Want To Catch?

[ClearCreek]

There are several species of fish mentioned that may be illegal to stock, depending on the river drainage the ponds are in.

The first thing you should do is contact the Fish Management Biologists in the Fort Collins office (or the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Regional Office in the area the ponds are located). They will inform you what can and can not be stocked in the area of interest and provide valuable information on stocking rates, etc.

Depending on where the ponds are located geographically, the best species may be rainbow trout. They will not spawn in the type of ponds you describe so they will have to be stocked each year. Rainbow trout can have a duel purpose; a sport fish to catch and provide forage for the predators.

It probably is common to have stunted largemouth bass populations in northern Colorado. Many small ponds in Wyoming have stunted LMB populations where natural reproduction is common due to shorter growing seasons and poor growth. The year classes tend to "catch up" with each other and the result is many, many LMB.

CLearCreek

 

[Rich M]

Teach the kids to catch, clean, cook, and eat bass.

Seriously though, stocking more feed and taking out bass is the best option. Putting more predators in an already predator heavy environment is a bad idea.

Contact your local field office of Colorado’s Fish and Wildlife. Ask to speak with the fisheries biologist for your area. Explain what you’re non profit is, and what you’re going to do with the grant. Ask them to come to an electro fishing survey and demonstration for the kids.

I used to work in fisheries management for our state game and fish, and as a part of our outreach, we would come out and shock ponds for these types of situations. We’d usually do a 3 pass depletion to make a good population estimate then make suggestions from there. If it was incredibly predator heavy we wouldn’t put a certain number of bass back that day.

This would be a great time to get the kids out and let them see an electro fishing demo while having the biologists and staff there to to explain sound fisheries management.

Whatever you do, DO NOT PUT CRAPPIE IN YOUR PONDS. If you think you’ve got stunted bass now, you have no clue what crappie will do to a small fishery with limited forage.


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He’s already got crappie in a pond. Or at least that’s how i read it.

 

[HuntHarder]

Catfish are fun to catch, hearty, fairly easy to catch and good eating. Nothing wrong with keeping carp in there as well. Not real good for eating, but fun to catch, they fight good and again, easy to catch.

 

[strousek]

Stock trout in a smaller pond as soon as temps get cool. Let the kids keep them, teach them to catch, clean, cook, etc. You may have some holdovers, or you may just be feeding bigger bass, but neither is really a bad thing. Otherwise I agree with Bluegill, perch, and bass.

This is the leading idea with the board of directors as well. Get the kids to catch stocker trout and whatever doesn't make it through the summer becomes bass food generally.

 

[strousek]

He’s already got crappie in a pond. Or at least that’s how i read it.

One pond does have crappie and that is enough. They are fun for the kids to catch but I have seen them take over bass ponds in other areas.

 

[Rich M]

One pond does have crappie and that is enough. They are fun for the kids to catch but I have seen them take over bass ponds in other areas.

You gotta be eating those. That's all I was saying.

If the stunted bass are the size of the one your boy is holding up, you have a good problem, keep and eat 100 of em and see how it goes. Still stunted, do it again.

You guys have the makings of a club fish fry. Pond management isn't easy, especially if no-one if keeping any. Most fish aren't gonna stop making babies.

 

[jjohnsonElknewbie]

Another vote here for Wipers or striped bass. Guessing sandy bottom and not much structure.

Pelicans will have a hay day with panfish!

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Love fishing for wipers. Hybrids that eat, swim, crap, and eat some more.

 

[jjohnsonElknewbie]

Catfish are fun to catch, hearty, fairly easy to catch and good eating. Nothing wrong with keeping carp in there as well. Not real good for eating, but fun to catch, they fight good and again, easy to catch.

Agree on the sporting qualities of carp, but they root up the bottom causing poor water clarity and spawning success of more desired species.

 

[jjohnsonElknewbie]

You gotta be eating those. That's all I was saying.

If the stunted bass are the size of the one your boy is holding up, you have a good problem, keep and eat 100 of em and see how it goes. Still stunted, do it again.

You guys have the makings of a club fish fry. Pond management isn't easy, especially if no-one if keeping any. Most fish aren't gonna stop making babies.

The IADNR doesn't recommend catch and release for bluegill and crappie in ponds. At normal stocking rates, after one spawn they're self-sufficient. This is because they are sexually mature much quicker than bass, catfish, and other predators. If you don't want to eat them, use them for fertilizer or feed the cats.

 

[fatlander]

The IADNR doesn't recommend catch and release for bluegill and crappie in ponds. At normal stocking rates, after one spawn they're self-sufficient. This is because they are sexually mature much quicker than bass, catfish, and other predators. If you don't want to eat them, use them for fertilizer or feed the cats.

Recommending not releasing bluegill in small impoundments is a new one for me. I’ve yet to encounter a small pond or lake that’s forage heavy and predator light. They’re always what is described by the OP, predator heavy with stunted largemouth and/or crappie. Bluegill are factories of forage every year. The more the merrier.

Crappie: you should be keeping every one you catch after their first spawn. I wouldn’t have them in a small impoundment, personally. They’re more trouble than they’re worth.

FWIW, I studied fisheries management in college and spent 5 years working in the field. If I was building a pond tomorrow, I’d get bluegill, red ear, and fat head minnows established. Then stock f1 hybrid largemouth the following year. There’s not a chance I’d put another predator in that pond.


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[strousek]

Recommending not releasing bluegill in small impoundments is a new one for me. I’ve yet to encounter a small pond or lake that’s forage heavy and predator light. They’re always what is described by the OP, predator heavy with stunted largemouth and/or crappie. Bluegill are factories of forage every year. The more the merrier.

Crappie: you should be keeping every one you catch after their first spawn. I wouldn’t have them in a small impoundment, personally. They’re more trouble than they’re worth.

FWIW, I studied fisheries management in college and spent 5 years working in the field. If I was building a pond tomorrow, I’d get bluegill, red ear, and fat head minnows established. Then stock f1 hybrid largemouth the following year. There’s not a chance I’d put another predator in that pond.


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I appreciate your opinion there. I will push for the keeping of all the Crappie.

 

[jjohnsonElknewbie]

Crappie: you should be keeping every one you catch after their first spawn. I wouldn’t have them in a small impoundment, personally. They’re more trouble than they’re worth.

This is what I was getting at. IADNR guidance is this for both bluegill and crappie. in new ponds. They won't stock crappie in ponds smaller than 10 acres.

That being said, I've seen crappies introduced into ponds from 3-5 acres with established bass populations that crank out 11-12" crappie every season after only a few years.

 

[jjohnsonElknewbie]

FWIW... IADNR guidelines and stocking rates. May be slightly different for CO due to climate.

Correct Stocking is a MUST for Good Fishing Some of Iowa's best fishing for Largemouth Bass, Bluegill, and Channel Catfish is provided by properly stocked ponds. Private hatcheries in Iowa have provided great success with the following rate in new or renovated ponds:

• 100/acre 3- to 6-inch Largemouth Bass
• 300/acre 3- to 5-inch Bluegill
• 100/acre 4- to 6- inch Channel Catfish

Hybrid sunfish should not be used as a substitute for a forage species such as Bluegill, especially in new ponds. Bluegill reproduction provides the necessary forage (small bluegill) for predator species such as bass. Reproduction by hybrid sunfish is very limited and insufficient to maintain reasonable growth and condition for larger predators.

Bluegills provide most of the "take home" catch and most of the forage for largemouth bass. A bluegill rarely exceeds one pound in weight, but pound for pound it is the sportiest fish around. The average size caught is 6 to 7 inches and 1/4 to 1/3 pounds. Bluegills live about five years, but 13-year-olds have been recorded. Bluegills reach sexual maturity at age one with a 4-inch female producing about 4,000 eggs.

Largemouth bass populations in a balanced Iowa pond will reach 50-75 lbs/acre. Largemouth bass should not be removed until the third year after stocking. No more than 15 largemouth bass/acre over 14 inches in length should be removed each year. Greater harvest rates will reduce the quality of largemouth bass and bluegill fishing. Removing too many largemouth bass may result in small bluegills due to their prolific reproduction.

 

[Hnthrdr]

I volunteer to come pull a bunch of bass out of these ponds as a Good Samaritan! I think walleye are great, crappie, seem to do well here in Co ponds, maybe it’s too warm but I love smallies. I still think a healthy pan fish population is great for kids to learn on. Seems like the kids like action and quantity over quality