How Many Fish Do I Need?
Stocking your Southwest Missouri pond correctly means better fishing and healthier water for years, whether it’s a new farm pond or one needing refresh. This guide covers recommended rates for largemouth bass, bluegill, redear sunfish, channel catfish, crappie, and fathead minnows to prevent overcrowding and stunted growth.
Fathead Minnows
Commonly called blackheads, these fish should be stocked in new waters. They reproduce well in ponds, never reaching over 3 to 3.5 inches in size. They will spawn throughout the growing season and will normally produce several hundred pounds of forage fish for your predator fish. Their presence will greatly speed the growth and maturation of bass populations and other predator fish.
Bluegill Sunfish
These fish are well suited for stocking with largemouth bass because they spawn several times during the year producing a continual supply of food. For a new pond, 500 bluegill per surface acre should be stocked. To provide needed food for a slow growing (stunted) bass population, 100 to 200, 4 to 5 inch bluegill should be stocked per surface area.
Channel Catfish
Catfish do well in new ponds in combination with largemouth bass and bluegill when stocked at rates of 100- 200 fingerlings per acre. However, periodic stocking of catfish is necessary since survival of young is poor in ponds which has bass and bluegill. Supplemental stocking of 50 to 100 catfish per acre, per year will maintain a good population. Supplemental stocked catfish should be at least 8 inches long to prevent their being eaten by large bass. Catfish also do well when stocked alone in ponds at rates of 300 to 500 to acre, but at these rates they should receive a supplemental diet of commercial catfish feed to maintain good growth.
Hybrid Bluegill
These fish are a cross between two kinds of sunfish. The most common cross is between bluegill sunfish and green sunfish. This hybrid is an aggressive feeder and grows more rapidly than regular bluegill. In new ponds, the hybrid can be substituted for up to one-half the usual bluegill stocking rate. To add variety to an established fishing lake 50 to 100, 2 to 4 inch hybrids can be stocked per surface acre of water.
Black Crappie
This fish does well in large bodies of water and should only be introduced in conjunction with other predatory fish. These fish should be stocked only if so desired and at a rate of 50 to 75 per surface acre of water.
AVAILABLE IN FALL ONLY
Largemouth Bass
This fish does well in small ponds and large lakes. Because it can reach a large size it must have other fish to eat in order to grow to a desirable size. For new ponds, bass should be stocked at the rate of 75 to 100 fingerlings per surface acre of water.
AVAILABLE IN FALL ONLY
Redear Sunfish
Commonly called shellcrackers, these fish do well in ponds and lakes with lots of snails. They generally reach a larger size than bluegill but are a little more difficult to catch. In new ponds, redear can be substituted for up to one-half the usual bluegill stocking rate. To add variety to an established lake 50 to 100, 2 to 3 inch redear can be stocked per surface acre.
AVAILABLE IN FALL ONLY
