Text Box: The bass/bluegill/redear combination utilizes the predator/prey relationship found in lakes and rivers to produce a self-sustaining quality bass and bream fishery in your pond. Bluegill (coppernose or native) and redear sunfish (shellcracker) form the base of the food chain spawning several times throughout the spring and summer providing adequate forage to grow big bass. Largemouth Bass control the bluegill and redear population by feeding on small and intermediate sized bream allowing larger bluegill to reach catchable size. Redear sunfish also eat snails eliminating grubs from your pond. A successful bass/bluegill/redear pond must be stocked in the proper sequence to ensure the development of the predator/prey relationship. Small (1-3 inch) bluegill and redear can be stocked into new ponds during fall or spring (September –April). They will begin to spawn in May and June. Once bream spawning has occurred, small (1-3 inch) largemouth bass may be stocked during that summer or fall (May-September). As the bass feed on the young bluegill they will grow rapidly reaching 1/4 to 1/2 pound by the following April at which time they will begin to spawn producing the next generation of bass for your pond. It is important not to harvest any bass from your pond until they have spawned at least twice. This ensures that there will be enough bass in your pond to control the bream population. (see bass/bluegill management section ). Fathead minnows should be stocked with the bluegill and redear to serve as forage for the growing bream. Once bass are stocked minnows will disappear quickly. This is ok because the bass will feed on the young bream. Minnows can be stocked periodically in the spring and fall to supplement your forage population. Channel catfish can be stocked if you desire to fish for catfish. Catfish may compete with bass for food so they should be stocked at low densities. Black crappie may also be stocked in larger (5 acres+ ponds) once bass populations have become established. (see crappie option for more information). Grass carp should also be stocked in fall or spring to control aquatic vegetation before it becomes a big problem. Mature Largemouth Bass can be expected to grow 1/2 to 1 pound a year with younger bass staying in the 1/4 to 1/2 pound range to control bream populations. Mature bluegill and redear should grow 1/4 pound per year with many younger bream staying in the 2-4 inch size range to feed the bass. Feeding ponds stocked with bass/bluegill/redear allows bluegill and redear to grow larger, produce more forage and grow bigger bass. Bluegill and redear should be fed a high protein feed with at least 38-40% protein and 8–10% fat. Ponds without aeration should not be fed more than 10-15 pounds of feed per acre per day. Aerated ponds may be fed up to 20-30 pounds of feed per acre per day. Hybrid bream are not good forage for largemouth bass and will breed with other bluegill and redear producing inbred fish that do not grow. DO NOT stock hybrid bream in the bass/bluegill/redear combination (see hybrid bluegill option)!

Arkansas Pondstockers

PO Box 357

Harrisburg, Arkansas 72432

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Arkansas Pondstockers

Harrisburg, Arkansas

1-800-843-4748

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Bass / Bluegill Ponds

Bass/Bluegill Ponds          Hybrid Bream Ponds

Channel Catfish Ponds      Black Crappie Ponds

Stocking Recommendations

Fish Descriptions

Pond Size Calculator

 

Species

Stocking rate if pond fed, fertilized or aerated

Stocking rate if pond NOT fed, fertilized or aerated

Time of year to stock

Bluegill

800 per acre

400 per acre

Spring or Fall

Redear Sunfish

200 per acre

100 per acre

Spring or Fall with bluegill

Fathead Minnows

10 pounds per acre

10 pounds per acre

Spring or Fall with bluegill

Largemouth Bass

100 per acre

100 per acre

May, June after bluegill

Grass Carp

12 per acre

12 per acre

With bluegill

Channel Catfish

(optional)

300 per acre

150 per acre

With bluegill or bass

Black Crappie

(optional)

100 per acre

50 per acre

October through April

(cool weather)