Fathead minnows are appropriate when stocking new ponds, renovated ponds or re-populating existing ponds. They travel in schools, hide in brush, and will typically disappear within the first 18 months of stocking in clear ponds without much cover. Stocking rates are fairly consistent with bluegill (500-2000 per acre). Generally stocking 100-200 per surface acre is acceptable. Fathead minnows are of critical importance for stocking new ponds and lakes. We recommend stocking all ponds with minnows. ALIAS: Tuffy, blackhead minnow, minner. The males may also possess a hard pad on the top of their head, used in the preparation of the nest or spawning site. per acre and more when game fish are present and organics are high. Various minnow species exist for lake and pond stocking, but fathead minnows are recommended as a solid choice as for a forage species. They reduce bass predation pressure on bluegill in a new pond, allowing the bluegill to build up better numbers which in turn sustain better long-term bass growth. Pike Road, Alabama 36064 Spawning typically begins when water temperatures reach 60 to 65 F and may continue until the temps exceed 85 F. This will include the spring and most of the summers, with the exception of the very hottest part of July and August, and then into the early fall. Value: Fatheads are slow swimmers and provide ideal food for young bass. We suggest stocking 100 lbs. Your fish are safely secured in 3.5 mil double bottom sealed polyethylene bags containing pure oxygen. Stocking fathead minnows Fathead minnows can be stocked in a pond to provide a supplemental food source to promote strong early growth of largemouth bass. Stock 50 largemouth bass per acre the following spring when the bream and fathead minnows are ready to spawn. Fathead minnows will spawn by depositing their eggs to the underside of rocks, logs, sticks, etc. If these minnows are added to a new bass-bluegill lake during initial stocking, they can reproduce and provide an abundance … You will get a great return for your investment! Fathead Minnows. The fathead minnow is an ideal baitfish species for pond stocking, and due to its many positive attributes is the most recommended baitfish as a purely forage species. These boxes will float for a long time, but will gradually biodegrade and disappear from the pond. Some females may lay up to 4,000 eggs per season. IF YOU DO NOT PLAN TO FEED YOUR FISH A COMMERCIAL FISH FOOD: The bass normally eat the minnows before they have time to spawn and contribute to the food base. Largemouth Bass ~ Channel Catfish ~ Hybrid Bluegill Regular Bluegill ~ Redear Sunfish ~ Black Crappie Nesting Substrate: Although fatheads may make a small teacup size nest on the pond bottom, they prefer to deposit their eggs on the underneath surface of rocks, plants or logs. If fatheads are stocked during the fall or winter, smaller minnows can be used, as they will grow and obtain sexual maturity prior to spawning season. Fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas) are perhaps the most common bait fish in the U.S. In fact, the presence of fatheads can contribute to a healthy annual growth rate for bass. If stocked during the spring, adults should be used to insure an early spawn. We always recommend fathead minnows as another preventative maintenance tool and food for other fish. If you want to jumpstart the bass’s growth in a new pond, consider stocking fathead minnows. Fathead minnows have been used for years and are usually stocked with the … Through many decades of use as live bait, they are now found throughout most of the United States. Hauling and handling instructions can be obtained from vendors of the fish. Bluegill and redear sunfish fingerlings stocked in the fall and winter will spawn the next spring. Fathead minnows offer forage to ponds which have recently been stocked with bass bluegill. Older males are often darker than the females. The males are also responsible for guarding the nest. They are native to central North America and were originally found from Canada to Mexico. The fathead minnow is a small, olive-colored baitfish that has been used for a century or more as bait for small predator fish such as crappie. It is recommended that they be stocked on a regular basis to insure proper feed ratios for game fish. Bass predation and the short life of the fathead adult contribute to their brief role in the population. If you do the math, that is very expensive fish food. Fathead minnows should be stocked at a rate of 1,000 - 2,000 per acre. The fathead minnow population is usually consumed within the first year of stocking … We pack your fish to safely survive 36+ hours, but they should be released as soon as delivered. In addition to bluegill, which is the primary food for bass in ponds, other species − such as fathead minnows, golden shiners and threadfin shad − should be considered in the initial stocking. These minnows begin spawning during the early spring, often several months before the bluegill spawn and provide a valuable food source for small bass fingerlings. or roughly 3,000 fathead minnows per surface acre. Fathead minnows are a common source of additional food for fish. FATHEAD MINNOWS (Pimephales promelas). Fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas) are stocked into a new pond to establish a more complete food chain, which in turn results in faster growth for the bluegill and bass. Production of fathead minnows can be greatly increased by adding this type of spawning substrate to most new ponds, but especially those ponds that have very little spawning substrate. Yellow perch are active predators, so stocking fathead minnows with perch is recommended. Make sure your pond is properly stocked with healthy stock fish. For the first year consider your bass pond a bait pond. Fathead Minnows are shipped safely in a double wall corrugated box (with insulation and ice packs when temperatures are above 80 degrees). Unlike threadfin shad that occupy open water, the fathead prefers to occupy similar habitats as the bass, making them very vulnerable to predation. Fathead minnows happily feed on plankton, insects and larva, fish food, bacteria colonies, tiny plants, and algae. In new ponds, pallets, boards, plastic drums or tires may offer additional spawning substrate. Fathead minnows feed on algae, organic sediment, duck and goose waste, decaying vegetation, leaf litter, and mosquito larvae. Fathead minnows: 10 lbs; Golden Shiners: 5 lbs; Grass Carp: 4-20; Gallons of water per 100 fish for 20 minutes of oxygen 4-6" catfish- 10 gal 6-8" catfish- 10 gal 8-10" catfish- 10 gal Bluegill- 10 gal Hybrid bluegill- 10 gal Crappie- 15 gal Bass- 10 gal Redear- 10 gal 1 lb fatheads/shiners- 5 gal These are very general stocking rates. They have a short life span of 2-3 years and reproduce frequently after water temperatures reach approximately 60 degrees. Minnows will school in warmer water at the edges of a pond looking for feed which primarily consists … Fathead Minnows are an economical forage species to add to almost any pond or lake. However I think the best thing he ever advised me about was stocking minnows. Fathead minnows stocked at about 1,000 per acre the first year of a new or renovated pond will improve bass survival and growth. 8007 Troy Highway The primary benefit of fathead minnows in ponds is to help the initial growth rate of largemouth bass and relieve initial pressure on the bluegill. Fathead Minnows provide excellent forage for most game species, averaging just 1-3 inches in length at adulthood. This ensures that small bream and minnows are available for the small bass. The minnows should be stocked well in advance of the game fish. The recommended stocking rate of fathead minnows is 3 pounds (750-1000 fish) per surface acre. Fathead minnows will spawn by depositing their eggs to the underside of rocks, logs, sticks, etc. If fatheads are stocked during the fall or winter, smaller minnows can be used, as they will grow and obtain sexual maturity prior to spawning season. We suggest a stocking rate of 10 lbs. Fatheads are frequently stocked in ponds before other species are introduced. Range: The original range includes much of North America from Quebec to the Northwest Territories, Canada and south to Alabama, Texas and New Mexico, ranging into Mexico. Stocking Rates Fathead minnows are used throughout the U S as a bait fish for small predator fish such as crappie and walleye. Fry can mature and spawn within 4 to 8 weeks of hatching. Our fish are health certified by a qualified veterinarian. Phone: 334-281-7703. Spawning: Mature fathead adults seldom exceed three inches in length and usually live for only 12 to 15 months. This is because minnows spawn in spring, a few months before bluegill spawns begin and as such can serve as an excellent source of food for bass fingerlings. The fathead minnow is a small, olive-colored baitfish that has been used for a century or more as bait for small predator fish such as crappie. Mature females may spawn weekly, depositing 200 to 500 eggs per spawn. Spawning begins when water temperatures warm to approximately 65 degrees and continues throughout the summer. Minnows are affordable and as such are considered an excellent investment when used … They prefer to spawn upside down! To observe minnow populations, check around your pond in early spring. head minnows make ideal forage fish, because even adult fish are small enough (adults reach only 1.5–3.5 inches) to be eaten by juvenile predator fish. Additional testing for VHS (viral hemorrhagic septicemia) is done on fish that are shipped out of the state of Wisconsin. They can be omnivores but normally eat more zooplankton than algae. Fatheads spawn early and often, creating an immediate source of food for fingerling bass. Fathead minnows are a terrific starter forage, stock them to reproduce and they will support the first year’s growth of your game fish. Fathead minnows seldom reach lengths greater than 3 inches, and therefore provide very little benefit when stocked as a forage fish into established ponds. Stock fathead minnows because they are slow swimmers, fast multipliers, and easy forage for the small bass. They are also widely used in pond management for fish and pond stocking. DIET: Zooplankton and phytoplankton.. SPAWNING: As fractional spawners, fathead minnows spawn throughout the spring and summer once water temperatures reach 64̊F. Stocking Rates: Fatheads may be stocked at a rate of 1,000 to 2,000 or more per acre. Some biologists recommend stocking approximately 10 pounds of minnows per acre, which is the equivalent of 2,000 adult minnows per acre. Stocking Rate and Procedure Fathead minnows should be stocked at a rate of 300 to 500 minnows per surface acre. This allows the minnows to reproduce and a stable population to become established. Fathead minnows mature at about 3 inches, or one year of age. Fatheads can actually increase the growth rate of bass during their first year of life. Standard Stocking Rates (Per Surface Acre on New Ponds/Lakes) 600-1,000 Hybrid Bluegill, Regular Bluegill, or Redear 100-200 Largemouth Bass 100-200 Channel Catfish 3,000-5,000 Fathead Minnows (12-20 lb) 10-12 Grass Carp . All Rights Reserved. Periodic additions of forage fish such as fathead minnows should increase bass grow and production. Baitfish are sold by the … Taal Lake Hatchery, New London, WI. Manage it for baitfish. WAP0001, I'm always amazed when talkin minnows that this isn't mentioned more. Bass fingerlings that are stocked during a time when there is no reproduction of bluegill or minnows will have to compete with bluegill for zooplankton and small insects, and their growth rate will be diminished. They primarily consume plankton, insects and algae. In northern ponds the best bet for bass forage is to stock a cocktail of fathead minnows, golden shiners, crayfish and in some circumstances, bluegill. IDENTIFICATION: A small mouth, black midline running the length of the body and spot on the dorsal fin are indicative of the fathead minnow.. They are NOT recommended for ponds under 5 acres. These 2-3 inch minnows are stocked in order to provide appropriate additional forage for lakes and ponds. The stocking ratio of bream to bass should be 10:1. Stocking Rates: Fatheads may be stocked at a rate of 1,000 to 2,000 or more per acre. However, in many of the production ponds at American Sport Fish Hatchery, we often use waxed cardboard boxes that are disassembled and placed on the surface of the pond. Fathead fry swim slowly enough for mature bluegill to feed on them and this may also increase bluegill growth rates. Bass predation and the short life of the fathead adult contribute to their brief role in the population. Minnows are relatively inexpensive and are well worth the initial investment to increase the growth rate and survival of the fingerling bass. Fathead Minnows are a very important bait minnow for fisherman, but also provide forage for large fish. Spawning begins when water temperatures reach 50º – 55ºF and repeats … They primarily consume plankton, insects and algae. Established bass-bluegill ponds: American Sport Fish does not usually recommend stocking fathead minnows into ponds that have an established bass population. Mature males are usually larger than the females and can be distinguished from the females during the breeding season by a series of breeding tubercles on the nose or forehead. The newly stocked bass fingerlings will usually consume fathead minnows first and predate on them until they disappear. Yellow Perch: Size: 3 - 5" 4 - 6" Price Per Fish: $1.30: $1.85: Fathead Minnows. Pond Stocking Services Fathead minnows are the most popular forage fish for pond stocking. 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