Raising Fish : Which

[Wintergrower_OH]

Looking to help a friend with a pond . Which fish should he be looking at ? For food and making money . Depth of pond ? 2 acre pond . He has a small island that is approximately 5 feet from shore and 15 feet long .

[poppy]

The food part is easy. Bluegill are excellent eating and will multiply well, too well without predator fish like Large Mouth Bass or Walleyes to keep their numbers in check. Yellow perch are also great eating and multiply well but they will all get eaten once the bass get to 4 or 5 pounds. A 4-5 pound bass will eat a 3 pound yellow perch but they cannot eat large bluegill. Channel catfish are also generally failproof. They grow fast but eat lots of pellets. Keeping fish populations in balance is the hard part. Supplemental feeding for faster growth can get expensive. They will grow okay on the floating fish food you buy at the farm stores for less than $15.00 a bag but they grow much better on Purina Aquamax at about $45.00 a bag and 40% protein. Making money depends on your area and local market. I understand it is hard to do unless you have an outlet for things like minnows, frog legs, or crawfish.
He might ask over at the Pond Boss forum. Helpful guys who know their stuff. Good luck.

[Oldcountryboy]

I'd like to raise hybrid Bluegills. I hear they get to a real nice size and bluegills are my favorite.

[poppy]

Originally Posted by Oldcountryboy

I'd like to raise hybrid Bluegills. I hear they get to a real nice size and bluegills are my favorite.

Hybrid bluegills are all I have in my small pond. I feed them for food and kids of family and friends to fish for. They do grow quick but regular bluegill will get just as large over time. Hybrids are nearly all male so they don't reproduce much but the few that do reproduce will provide you with some strange looking sunfish, depending on what they were crossed from to produce the hybrid. The offspring usually don't amount to much from my experience. They never got nearly as large as regular bluegill no matter how much they ate. I just put regular bluegill in my large pond. There are strains of bluegills known for getting large but most are southern fish that do not do well where it gets cold. Coppernose Bluegill is one.

[Wintergrower_OH]

Now i have a direction . Thanks .

[fishhead]

Ohio University has some good people working on aquaculture. I suggest you contact Laura Tiu. She can point you in the right direction on what species grow well in your area and pond depth, etc.

[Ironbutt]

Here in my area we have commercial aquaculture. The catfish farms are 2 acre ponds that are 4 feet deep. They harvest the fish at 2-3 lbs. Also have fresh water shrimp farms, crayfish farms.

[Wintergrower_OH]

I would think OSU would have knowledgeable people . Phil is a part time instructor at OSU .

[wy_white_wolf]

Is there a market for Bluegill?

I've never seen them in the supermarket. I'd look into what he can sell if he wants to make any money.

WWW

[poppy]

Originally Posted by wy_white_wolf

Is there a market for Bluegill?

I've never seen them in the supermarket. I'd look into what he can sell if he wants to make any money.

WWW

They are available farm raised in the restaurant trade. A local tavern has all you can eat bluegill every Friday. Like other farm raised fish, they taste a bit different due to the feed. While still good, they are more bland tasting. A 2 acre pond is sort of in the middle for most things. Too small for a pay fishing lake and too large to seine for specialty items like shrimp or minnows. Doubt it would be worth the expense and hassle. Personally, I would forget the income and manage it as a private fishery for myself, family, and friends. Study up on what fish combinations will work and stock accordingly.

[Maura]

Your friend needs to visit the pet stores within reasonable driving distance and ask them what they pay for goldfish. Twenty years ago I got $3 a piece, which was a lot. But they were raised outside and were a beautiful color and larger than feeders. I don't know how they are for eating.

[JoePa]

If your purpose is to raise fish to eat - then I'd put catfish in the pond - they eat anything and are very hardly - can stand large temperature swings - when I butcher my deer in the fall I throw the scraps into the pond for them to clean up - raise them until they get around 12 to 14 inches - then eat them - they will also reproduce so you always have some in the pond - farm raised catfish is a big business -

[fishhead]

Originally Posted by Wintergrower_OH

I would think OSU would have knowledgeable people . Phil is a part time instructor at OSU .

OSU does have very knowledgeable people. They are actively promoting aquaculture in Ohio and doing some good research.