crappie for small ponds

[barnc]

I have a 1/2 acre pond with bass and bream(it seems like mostly bass-which I have no problem with) I was wondering if it would be a good or bad idea to put crappie in this pond. I plan to feed fish this spring and hope that might take some of the pressure off of the smaller fish. Also, would it be a good or bad idea to put catfish in this pond with or without crappie?

Thanks for any help

[Kokanee King]

you wnat to make sure that you put in large mature crappie so not to be eaten by the bass. and cat fish are always good, if you do stock channal cats.

[paddlebug235]

You might check with your DNR but our biologists don't recommend crapie in a pond that small. they are ultra prolific and will get stunted besides abusng the forage base in a small pond.

[Darryl Morris]

if you stock crappie and when catching some start to notice they are thin (no shoulders to them) then they are not getting enough food. You'll have to increase their prey or thin them out. This happened to a man a know. His pond was overrun with poor, starved crappie. When you grow some over 3 pounds, give me a call.

[fiddlefarter]

I have always heard that you should never put crappie into ponds. They will take it over in a few years but by then the small voracious eating crappie will have eaten all the baitfish and bream fry. Then the bass won't have any small bream to eat so they will be starved too. Bass, bream, and catfish are the only fish you ought to put in a pond. Their reproductive cycles balance out and there is always small ones for the others to eat. And you shouldn't always practice catch and release in ponds. Check with your DNR they will back me up on all this.