10 MISC. PUB. 528, U. S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE 
In new ponds or ponds without an existing fish population, the per 
acre stocking rates of these three combinations are (25) : 
1. Combination of bluegill bream and large-mouth black bass: 
Nonfertilized pond: 
400 bluegill fingerlings stocked in late summer, autumn, or winter. 
380 bass fingerlings stocked in autumn or winter, or 30 fry the fol- 
lowing spring. 
Fertilized pond: 
1,500 bluegill fingerlings stocked in late summer, autumn, or winter, 
100 bass fingerlings in autumn or winter, or 100 fry the following 
spring. 
2. Combination of bluegill bream, white crappie, and large-mouth black bass: 
Nonfertilized pond: 
400 bluegill fingerlings stocked in late summer, autumn, or winter. 
20 bass fingerlings in autumn or winter, or 20 fry the following 
spring. 
10 crappie fingerlings or fry stocked at the same time as the bass. 
Fertilized pond: 
1,500 bluegill fingerlings stocked in late summer, autumn, or winter. 
75 bass fingerlings in autumn or winter, or 75 fry the following 
spring. 
25 crappie fingerlings or fry stocked at the same time as the bass. 
3. Combination of bluegill bream, bullhead catfish, and large-mouth black bass: 
Nonfertilized pond: 
300 bluegill fingerlings stocked in late summer, autumn, or winter. 
25 catfish fingerlings in autumn or 25 fry the following spring. 
30 bass fingerlings in autumn or winter, or 30 fry the following 
. Spring. 
Fertilized pond: 
1,200 bluegill fingerlings stocked in late summer, autumn, or winter. 
75 catfish fingerlings in autumn or 75 fry the following spring. 
100 bass fingerlings in autumn or winter, or 100 fry the following 
spring. 
When ponds are stocked in autumn or winter with bluegill and bass 
fingerlings of the same size and at these rates, the bluegill usually 
will spawn the following summer and the bass the first or, more rarely, 
the second spring. The bluegill will be pan size by the middle of the 
summer, the bass will be pan size by early autumn, and fishing should 
start after the bream have reached pan size and the bass have spawned. 
Various States have determined minimum size limits below which fish 
cannot be legally taken. 
These are recommendations that have been developed and tested in 
the Southeast. They may not apply equally well elsewhere but they 
serve as a guide since they are based on experimental evidence. It may 
be desirable to substitute other species but the same principles of bal- 
anced population should be followed. In some parts of the country, 
size at stocking time may be more important than age. For example, 
in more northern waters, bluegill 214 to 3 inches long may not be pro- 
duced in a single season, but that size is most desirable for stocking. 
Under such conditions yearling bluegill or well-fed fingerlings equiva- 
lent to the bass in size may be stocked. Although bluegill bream are 
generally supplied by hatcheries, most of the other kinds of bream 
are acceptable substitutes for bluegill. Planting stock can be obtained 
from Federal, State, and, in some localities, private fish hatcheries. 
