Can crappie live in a small pond?

Crappie can be a difficult fish to manage, especially in small ponds. If you are trying to maintain a small pond with multiple sport fish species, such as largemouth bass and crappie, you may find that you have a hard time growing anything of a substantial size.

Are crappie good for a lake?

There are two species of crappie, but black crappie are best suited for ponds. These smaller bass will control the crappie population and allow the remaining fish to grow faster. Good crappie fishing in farm ponds is difficult to maintain for long periods of time.

Do black crappie reproduce in a pond?

Spawning success is difficult to predict. This is unlike largemouth bass, which usually spawn well each year. Crappie may be sexually mature at 6 inches and will usually spawn near rocks or logs around the pond banks during March and April. This is also when most crappie are caught in small ponds and lakes.

Can a black crappie be used in a small pond?

While there is nothing wrong with the white crappie, they are not used in pond stocking or raised commercially. Black crappie are used exclusively for stocking in smaller lakes or ponds, above two acres, as they are less prolific than the white crappie, but still have great reproductive potential.

How big of a crappie can you put in a lake?

Fall and winter stockings of 3- to 4-inch fingerlings is the most predictable approach. Crappie stocking rates depend on each lake’s forage base, fertility and bass structure. We prefer to introduce crappie into lakes that have a history of good bass reproduction and that actually have a fall carry over of small bass in the 4 to 6-inch range.

Is the black nose crappie the same as the regular crappie?

Growth rates and spawning are the same as the regular black crappie. American Sport Fish produces black nose crappie for small lake stockings and for some governmental stockings of public waters. It is easy to identify the survival of stocked fingerlings through this obvious genetic mark.

What’s the difference between a black crappie and a white crappie?

The easiest way to tell the two apart is to count the spines on the fin on the crappie’s back. White crappie have 5 to 6 spines, while black crappie have 7 to 8 spines. Before introducing crappie, be sure your pond will be clear most of the time.