The Shellcrackers

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Comment by John Burns on April 2, 2017 at 8:05pm

The 1/20th acre forage pond is about three years old. I just built a one acre pond that has not filled nor been stocked yet. It will be dedicated to Redear fish. Will stock redear and fathead minnows. Maybe small mouth bass some later years if the redear get too thick.

Comment by John Burns on October 29, 2016 at 7:16pm

It is two years old. Caught a few more this evening. Moved the hybrids to my main pond and the pure redear to a nearby sediment pond that had a fish kill. Have moved 9 adult redear to it and about 70 fingerlings that I bought from a fish truck last week. Here is a couple from tonight. Caught several smaller ones.

Comment by David, aka, "McScruff" on October 29, 2016 at 3:07pm

As we used to say in the Navy - "belay my last." Didnt know you were working to plan!
How long has the RE pond been estblished?

Comment by John Burns on October 29, 2016 at 2:49pm

"By most accounts, redear are not skittish - until they are in shallow water.
They are most at ease with 8 feet or more of water over their heads."

Me too, but I'm a scuba diver. LOL

This pond is a little over 7' at full pool at its deepest point. When I was building it with the dozer, it was kind of straight down, raise the blade to full height, and straight up the other side.

I have tried quite a bit to catch them in deeper water, but just don't have much luck. Out in my big pond I have cover out in deeper water that I have fished around and have caught a very few RES, but considering there are probably a thousand bluegill in that pond for each one redear, I'm probably catching as many as probability would have it.

The purpose of the forage pond with fedear only in it, is I trap the small redear and move to the big pond, trying to up the redear numbers there. My fish supplier did not have nearly enough readear as I would have liked for the initial stocking, so the numbers of redear in my big pond are lower than I would like. Have moved probably a hundred 2-4" fingerlings to the big pond this year.

Comment by David, aka, "McScruff" on October 29, 2016 at 2:28pm

By most accounts, redear are not skittish - until they are in shallow water.
They are most at ease with 8 feet or more of water over their heads.
In a small pond, they may not have the full depth theyd liken and so are wary.
I dunno, its just a thought

Comment by John Burns on October 29, 2016 at 1:15pm

I have a heckofa time trying to catch them out of my main pond. Bluegill always get to the bait first. But in this small forage pond all there are is Redear. They usually are still kind of hard to catch, but at least when I catch something it is going to be a redear. I catch them the best in about a foot deep water about a foot or two our from the bank. I would guess they are coming in close to shore to get the snails in shallow water.

Comment by David, aka, "McScruff" on October 29, 2016 at 12:56pm

My favorite sunfish to catch.
Snagged a pounder on the bottom with worms the other day.

Comment by John Burns on October 29, 2016 at 12:53pm

Redear x green sunfish hybrid

Comment by John Burns on October 29, 2016 at 12:50pm

Comment by John Burns on October 29, 2016 at 12:36pm

A couple more Redear from my 1/20th acre forage pond.

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