06-19-2010, 02:14 PM
I have been reading up on the hybrid gills and some people like them and some people hate them. I've heard that they can get bigger mouths and start competing with the bass for food.
"These hybrids possess characteristics of fast growth, hybrid vigor and are more aggressive in their feeding habits, which increase their vulnerability to angling. This strain has a larger mouth than true bluegill sunfish and readily consume commercial fish food as their primary diet, which is why they will out-grow true bluegill sunfish; but the difference is slight when not feeding a commercial fish food."
If I don't stock bass and stick with Perch, Hybrid Bluegill, and Fathead Minnows I could probably get away with it.
I was also wondering how the hybrid bluegill eats? I know some people just catch and release when fishing there ponds, but I plan to catch and eat some of the bigger fish to thin the population from time to time.
I'm not sure what spring fed actually means, but when my pond was dug it filled itself. If you watch around the base of the pond you could see water oozing from the sides. It only took about 3 days with no rain to fill. I have yet to measure but I am guessing it's about 1/3 of an acre. I do know that it is 16 feet deep in the middle. The pond was dug last October so it has been 8 months. I am assuming if I started with Fathead Minnows and a hybrid bluegill now and started a feeding program. Even with the lack of plant life the fish would do fine. And then in the spring I could introduce the Perch once the minnows are settled in.
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"These hybrids possess characteristics of fast growth, hybrid vigor and are more aggressive in their feeding habits, which increase their vulnerability to angling. This strain has a larger mouth than true bluegill sunfish and readily consume commercial fish food as their primary diet, which is why they will out-grow true bluegill sunfish; but the difference is slight when not feeding a commercial fish food."
If I don't stock bass and stick with Perch, Hybrid Bluegill, and Fathead Minnows I could probably get away with it.
I was also wondering how the hybrid bluegill eats? I know some people just catch and release when fishing there ponds, but I plan to catch and eat some of the bigger fish to thin the population from time to time.
I'm not sure what spring fed actually means, but when my pond was dug it filled itself. If you watch around the base of the pond you could see water oozing from the sides. It only took about 3 days with no rain to fill. I have yet to measure but I am guessing it's about 1/3 of an acre. I do know that it is 16 feet deep in the middle. The pond was dug last October so it has been 8 months. I am assuming if I started with Fathead Minnows and a hybrid bluegill now and started a feeding program. Even with the lack of plant life the fish would do fine. And then in the spring I could introduce the Perch once the minnows are settled in.
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