2012 SPRING Fingerling Fish Sale

This year you may order your fish online using Paypal or a credit card OR you can print the attached order form and mail in your order.  Deadline for orders is May 10, 2012.

Print 2012 SPRING Order Form

Bluegill (hybrid) are popular food for largemouth bass as well as humans.  Most bluegills can spawn by age two when they are about 3 inches long.  Young bluegills feed on tiny microscopic plants and animals.  Adults feed on insects, snails, small crayfish and fish eggs.  Bluegills can grow to six inches in two to four years if provided enough food and space and some have even grown over 10”.

Largemouth Bass are the number one predator in ponds.  They begin spawning about the age of three when they are 10-12” long.  As adults, their diet consists of insects, crawfish and small fish (bluegill and small largemouth bass).  Largemouth bass grow to an average size of 1-2 pounds and live from 4-6 years.

Channel Catfish are mostly bottom feeders, preferring live or dead insects, crayfish and occasionally aquatic plants.  Catfish have a tendency to stir up the bottoms of shallow ponds and cause the water to become muddy.  Their average adult size is 14-16”.

White Amur are members of the minnow family.  They usually live 10 to 15 years and can grow to weigh 100 pounds.  White amur feed on leafy, rooted aquatic plants, such as pondweed and coontail.  Lacking these, they will consume floating duckweed, green algae and even cattails.

Minnows are small fish that swim in schools and are used as feeder fish.  We recommend that you purchase 1000 minnows in order to give them a chance to breed.

Perch  prey upon aquatic insects, invertebrates, a wide variety of fishes, and on the eggs of other fish species.  Adults average between 7 to 12 inches and weigh between 4 ounces and 1 pound.

Red Ear Shell Cracker thrives in clear, warm impoundments with rooted vegetation. They are attracted to submerged vegetation and trees.  In well managed waters with good habitat, red ear sunfish will reach 9 to 11 inches in length.

More Information

Fish Delivery

The fish will be delivered to the Allen County fairgrounds on Thursday, May 17, 2012 at 1:00 PM in an aerated tank truck.  Those purchasing fish will need to bring their own containers filled with fresh pond water.  A five-gallon bucket will transport 100 fingerling fish, while a 20-gallon garbage can is needed to handle up to 10 white amur.  Each container needs to be lined with a clean garbage bag, which will be tied shut and injected with oxygen for those traveling longer distances.  This will ensure that the fish will be in good condition when released into the pond.  Those purchasing fish should plan on transporting them directly to the pond without delay after pick-up.  Deadline for ordering fish is May 10, 2012.

Stocking Recommendations

The following stocking rates are recommended by The Ohio State University Extension for new ponds or following a fish kill:

You will need to use your best judgment on the number of fish to add to a pond that was previously stocked.  Keep in mind that in such an event you may want to purchase larger fish, so that they are not easily eater by larger predator fish already established in the pond.  For more information on stocking recommendations go to http://ohioline.osu.edu/a-fact/0010.html.