Crappie can cause major problems for ponds

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Many landowners would like the opportunity to fish for crappie in their ponds and small lakes, but crappie can cause major problems in smaller bodies of water because the diet of crappie species is very similar to diets of other pond species, such as bass and bream.

When crappie numbers are low, diet overlap with other species is not a problem, but crappie tend to produce inconsistent but sometimes extremely large numbers of young. After stocking, crappie may be rare for several years; then, suddenly, crappie populations explode and fill the pond with small, hungry crappie. They eat all the food needed by both bass and bream, causing bass and bream to grow slowly and become much thinner.

In ponds where good fishing for bass and bream is important, crappie should never be stocked.

If you already have crappie in a small lake or pond or if you absolutely must stock crappie, there are some things you can do to improve your chances at successfully raising this species in smaller ponds. The key to growing larger crappie is to increase the abundance of predators by overcrowding the pond with bass. Large numbers of small, hungry bass will eat most of the young crappie, leaving more food for the fish that remain.

You must understand that you cannot have the best of both worlds. If you want crappie fishing, you must forget about quality bass fishing, as a correctly managed crappie pond usually will not have big bass to catch. In other words, choose one species, and manage for that species.

There are two species of crappie, but black crappie are better suited for ponds than white crappie. The easiest way to tell the two apart is by counting the spines on the fin along the crappie’s back. White crappie have five to six spines, while black crappie have seven to eight.

Before introducing crappie, landowners should be sure that their pond will be relatively clear most of the year. This means you should be able to see a light object in 18 to 24 inches of water except during brief periods (a few days) following heavy rainfall and runoff. Crappie are sight feeders and will not do well in muddy water.

Still want crappie? If so, you can stock 15 adult black crappie per acre in an established, balanced, or bass-crowded bass and bluegill pond. Catch and remove all bass when they are longer than 15 inches. Never harvest smaller bass. This will create a crowd of smaller bass to 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. If the pond gets out of balance and becomes overpopulated with small crappie, stock 30 to 50 adult bass (10 to 12 inches long) per acre. More small crappie will be eaten, helping to reduce the population size.

Winter drawdown is also an effective management technique to prevent crappie overcrowding. The pond should be drawn down to half its normal surface area early in the fall. Bass harvest should stop during this time. The drawdown makes it easier for bass to find and eat the crappie. Let the pond refill during late winter and spring.