Undesirable Species
Arkansas Pondstockers
Harrisburg, Arkansas
1-800-843-4748
Several species of fish are common in public lakes and rivers but are not desirable for private fishing ponds.
· Green sunfish (also known as ricefield slicks, or greenies) have a tendency to rapidly take over ponds once stocked. Green sunfish mature at small sizes resulting in rapid overpopulation and slow growth. They also have a large mouth allowing them to eat bass and bluegill fingerlings.
· Bullhead Catfish tend to muddy the water when feeding and do not reach large sizes like channel catfish. Bullheads also reproduce like rabbits resulting in populations of small, stunted fish.
· Flathead catfish are very aggressive predators which can grow to large sizes but will eat everything in your pond in the process.
· Common Carp also muddy the water as they root in the mud looking for food. Common carp will also spawn is ponds producing thousands of baby carp which will eat bass and bluegill eggs and fingerlings.
· Israeli Carp, a form of common carp, are marketed as algae eaters and often confused with grass carp. However, Israeli carp muddy the water in search of food and will spawn in ponds competing with bass and bluegill. Don’t be fooled when looking for vegetation control, only the grass carp will control vegetation without taking over your pond!
· White Crappie are difficult to manage in small ponds and tend to overpopulate, stunt at small sizes and compete with bass and bluegill for food.
· Golden shiners, gizzard shad and threadfin shad are often added to ponds as forage for largemouth bass. This is very risky and should only be done as part of a managed trophy bass program. Shiners and shad produce large numbers of babies which serve as food for bass. However, shiners and shad compete with baby bass and bluegill for food sometime resulting in the total loss of bluegill populations. Shiners and shad also grow up to 2 pounds if not eaten by bass at a small size. Once shiners and shad reach this size they are to big for bass to eat and eventually begin feeding on the baby bass and bluegill.Some pond owners prefer to stock shad and shiners on a monthly basis to “feed their bass”, however this is very expensive and is unreliable ( if you can’t afford to add shad or shiners this month, your bass have nothing to eat this month!).
· Gambusia, also known as mosquitofish or potgut minnows, are marketed for mosquito control. While it is true gambusia eat mosquito larvae, so do bluegill and fathead minnows. Gambusia are very territorial and very aggressive often feeding on baby bluegill, bass and catfish and are considered a nuisance fish by most.
· Koi are a selectively bred form of common carp enjoyed by pond owners for their vibrant colors. While koi are pretty to look at they are best suited for ornamental ponds. Because they are a form of common carp, koi will muddy the water when feeding, eat baby bluegill and bass and will spawn in ponds creating thousands of baby koi.