Hybrid crappie question???

[Murph]

I finally got enough rain to fill my pond and am about to order fish. Has anyone tried the hybrid crappie in a small tank? They are sterile so you can put them in small bodies of water without worrying about them taking over.

Ps I am buying them no matter what, but wanted to see how big will they get in a1/2 acre pond that is around 13 feet deep.

Murph

[Flint knapper]

Sounds like some fun fishing and some good eating!

[HighCountry]

I have never heard of hybrid crappie. Can you give me some info on them?

[holdem]

White Crappie and Black Crappie so would a hybrid be a Grey Crappie ?? Serious question !!

[Javelin]

I would not do it. I am pretty sure if you contact Dr. Billy Higginbotham of the TAMU extension service he will tell you the same. Crappie, hybrid or not, are not a good idea in bodies of water under 100acres or so. they will stay small and eat all the other young fish (bass, bluegill, catfish) that are in the pond. A 1/2 acre pond will not hold a large number of fish no matter the depth. It is best to stock it will bluegill first (not hybrid sunperch) then let them mature for a year or so and stock with your choice of catfish or bass. Putting some fathead minnows in also would not hurt. small ponds do best with one predator fish and some baitfish/ sunfish.

[Murph]

I have never heard of hybrid crappie. Can you give me some info on them?

They are a cross between a white and black and are sterile. They are also called a Magnolia crappie. Alabama fish and game started the whole thing.

[Murph]

I would not do it. I am pretty sure if you contact Dr. Billy Higginbotham of the TAMU extension service he will tell you the same. Crappie, hybrid or not, are not a good idea in bodies of water under 100acres or so. they will stay small and eat all the other young fish (bass, bluegill, catfish) that are in the pond. A 1/2 acre pond will not hold a large number of fish no matter the depth. It is best to stock it will bluegill first (not hybrid sunperch) then let them mature for a year or so and stock with your choice of catfish or bass. Putting some fathead minnows in also would not hurt. small ponds do best with one predator fish and some baitfish/ sunfish.

I understand that used to be the thinking due to crappies unbelievable spawning potential, but with this new breed, they will not overpopulate. I plan on aerating and stocking tons of baitfish. I will also restock the baitfish yearly, so that I can carry a heavier load of fish.

One female white crappie can produce like 20,000 eggs or more a year.

I will be the guinea pig on this and let ya'll know how it goes.

I am doing everything I can to have a quality pond, liner,aeration,structure, cover, spawning areas etc.

[Tejas Wildlife]

Javelin speaks the truth

I would not do it. I am pretty sure if you contact Dr. Billy Higginbotham of the TAMU extension service he will tell you the same. Crappie, hybrid or not, are not a good idea in bodies of water under 100acres or so. they will stay small and eat all the other young fish (bass, bluegill, catfish) that are in the pond. A 1/2 acre pond will not hold a large number of fish no matter the depth. It is best to stock it will bluegill first (not hybrid sunperch) then let them mature for a year or so and stock with your choice of catfish or bass. Putting some fathead minnows in also would not hurt. small ponds do best with one predator fish and some baitfish/ sunfish.

Problems with crappie is they will WAY overpopulate in a pond (I have great doubts of you getting 100% sterile "hybrid crappie" in your shipment), they will cause the pond to stay muddy all year long, & they will eat all your forage fish. Do like he said:

Stock Coppernose bluegill sunfish the first year, allow them to mature & have at least one hatch.

Stock bass or catfish the second year.

Other option is stocking the fathead minnows first then catfish the next year.

I have dealt with stocking ponds professionally & for fun since the early 70's and have NEVER met anyone who was happy with crappie in their pond after a couple of years.

Good luck.

[Murph]

Problems with crappie is they will WAY overpopulate in a pond (I have great doubts of you getting 100% sterile "hybrid crappie" in your shipment), they will cause the pond to stay muddy all year long, & they will eat all your forage fish. Do like he said:

Stock Coppernose bluegill sunfish the first year, allow them to mature & have at least one hatch.

Stock bass or catfish the second year.

Other option is stocking the fathead minnows first then catfish the next year.

I have dealt with stocking ponds professionally & for fun since the early 70's and have NEVER met anyone who was happy with crappie in their pond after a couple of years.

Good luck.

Point taken

[canny]

Good luck with it. I will second the notion that they may not be a true sterile hybrid. Its possible that they are like hybrid bluegill which will actually revert over a period of time. Just some food for thought. If your interested in a sport fish stay away from any apex predator in that small of a pond especially bass. We have a pond that same size that was stocked with bass and bluegill. Now its just a bunch of stunted bass. In order to sustain a healthy bass population an intense harvest is required. The most efficient option for that size of a pond IMO would consist of catfish and hybrid stripers, both of them will consume a floating feed and you will not have time worry about an overpopulation.

[unclefish]

Yep I would bet there would be some non-hybrid crappie being in there.

That being said there are some guys on the pondboss forums who have stocked crappie successfully in ponds for several years that already have a healthy population of bass. The bass keep the crappie in check but allow enough of them to live to grow to a good size for eating.

[Buck Down]

We have crappie in our tank for years it's so clear you can see at least 2 to 3 ft no problem. In a small body of water they will not reproduce. They need at least 3 or 5 acres for them to reproduce.

[Murph]

Good luck with it. I will second the notion that they may not be a true sterile hybrid. Its possible that they are like hybrid bluegill which will actually revert over a period of time. Just some food for thought. If your interested in a sport fish stay away from any apex predator in that small of a pond especially bass. We have a pond that same size that was stocked with bass and bluegill. Now its just a bunch of stunted bass. In order to sustain a healthy bass population an intense harvest is required. The most efficient option for that size of a pond IMO would consist of catfish and hybrid stripers, both of them will consume a floating feed and you will not have time worry about an overpopulation.

I am an ex fishing guide and have plenty of redneck friends and family, I plan on harvesting a bunch of fish each year. I will also have a feeder on the pond as well.

[canny]

We have crappie in our tank for years it's so clear you can see at least 2 to 3 ft no problem. In a small body of water they will not reproduce. They need at least 3 or 5 acres for them to reproduce.

They will reproduce in less than 1/4 acre.

[ETXBow]

Don't let anyone discourage u. If crappie is your thing, then go for it. I've had 1/2 acre ponds that have yielded tons of 10" crappie year after year.