So, biologist says threadfin for the quarry pond. Says oh by the way, Arkansas has some new laws that the local producers must get certified. Only place to get em is Alabama. 50lbs of threadfin, delivered, $2500!! 7-10000 fish. Takes 10lbs of forage fish to grow 1lb of predator fish. That’s 5lbs of Bass for $2500. My plan is to trap a few hundred pounds of local native bait fish and toss in the quarry first, since it already has bass in it. Gonna catch as many as I can out of it first. Somebody needs to start raising some threadfin around here!!
Threadfin cost more than tuna....
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Believe me it was the first thing that crossed my mind. They say a fertile pond 8ft deep can produce a ton or more of fish annually with intense management. It’s a 2ac quarry 20ft deep. Even at 2 tons total X $30/lb we’re talking $120K, minus delivery, feed, and nutrient costs. Seems profitable. If I stock them and they seem to favor the environment and sustain themselves thru Winter with a predator population, that may be EXACTLY what I do.
Just dont get caught transporting the threadfin. You might be better off killing the pond and starting over. I supplemented my redear a few years after I had already established my pond. I dumped those 500 fingerling redear in that pond and the bass immediately attacked. Not sure a one made it through the day.
I’m about to go take some temp samples and try to determine the thermocline as soon as my meters show up. If I have bottom temps in mid to upper 40’s right now, I think I’m going to try it. Killing it off seems like a lot of work. I think we would need to drain a LOT of water before we could effectively poison. Then who knows how long it would take to refill. I’m going to try and find some bait ponds someone will let me pay to drain. I figure just a couple small cattle ponds with stunted fish will work. If I can seine a few hundred pounds of 3” bluegill, then dump in a couple hundred pounds of creek wild shiners, after catching as many bass out as possible, and stock the Shad just before spawning, I’m hoping to get enough established to at least make it through summer. Then reevaluate next Spring.
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You could buy the stocker size fry minnows from Andersons and they will ship
them to you. You can buy them off amazon.
them to you. You can buy them off amazon.
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7,253 Posts
Two things:
1. You want me to come catch some fish out of there?
2. I have a hookup at Andersons. I could put you in touch.
1. You want me to come catch some fish out of there?
2. I have a hookup at Andersons. I could put you in touch.
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15,358 Posts
The AGFC is not buying 50 pounds of shad for $2500 and dumping that 50 pounds of shad into a lake to grow 5 pounds of bass. They are buying 50 pounds of breeder shad for $2500 to put in a nursery pond where they will spawn a couple of times before releasing the nursery pond into the lake, which stocks millions of shad into the lake.
It currently has a reproducing fish population and plankton bloom. I haven’t gotten the water tests back yet, but other than possibly some extra fertilization, I think it’s good to go. Biggest problem is no forage base since there is no shallow water spawning habitat. The private fisheries biologist thinks the Shad will work because they are open water schoolers in the herring family, and do a “spray and pray” method of spawning in big schools. They thing the eggs will stick to the rocks around the edges and provide a solid forage base. We are also converting a 1/4ac cattle pond into a forage pond for golden shiners and fathead minnows with a feeder, aerator, etc.
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GOOD LUCK keep us posted.I haven’t stayed in a HOLIDAY INN EXPRESS for a good long time,so my response is only based on the places I’ve saw shad live and everyone of them are connected to river or other tributary.So I reckon I’m only making an educated guess nothing scientific of biological as you might expect.😂😂😂
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672 Posts
First what part of the state is your pond located in? Will your meters also give you dissolved o2 readings? Threadfin are extremely delicate, hard to handle and keep alive. That's a big reason they are so expensive. AG&F bring their brood stock inside for the winter to make sure they have fish for the spring. If you could add cover to your pond you can get golden shiner fry from Anderson Minnow farm for $300 per 250,000 which is the stocking rate for a 1 acre pond. You start seining ponds and creeks to get your forge base you are going to make a mess of your pond with green sunfish and possible gizzard shad not to mention other ruff fish that when small you can't tell them apart from the good stuff. I'm predicting any short cuts you take will come back to bite you in the ass.
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