The Fathead Minnow is the most affordable and durable of the forage species. We are able to stock them in all but the hottest temperatures. It is a small prolific minnow that spawns from the spring until late summer on the underside of nearly any material near the shore.
Fathead Minnow Advice:
Reproduction can be improved by placing any kind of structure in 1 to 3 feet of water. It is very important for the minnows to be able to escape predators while reproducing.
Fathead Minnows eat a wide variety of aquatic organisms, from Mosquito larvae to algae, and they can withstand extremely low oxygen levels. Because of this they can survive and thrive in a wide variety of water conditions. We recommend stocking about 10 to 25 pounds per Surface Acre in new ponds without a forage base. If you have a pond full of Largemouth Bass, or other predators, it may take over 100 pounds per Surface Acre to establish a population.
And in our experience, in many cases you will not be able to permanently establish a minnow population in a bass pond. In those situations, Fathead Minnows are used as a boost to the bass growth rates, or protection for Bluegills to establish themselves. We set up monthly stocking programs for many customers that will stock 25 to 100 pounds of minnows and/or shiners per surface acre per month April thru November. Contact us if you are interested.
FOR A PRICE LIST, plus ordering and availability info, WI & IL Customers can email us at info@keystonehatcheries.com. Sorry, but we do not sell fish outside of WI or IL at this time.
CUSTOM FISH STOCKING RECOMMENDATIONS: email us with some info and we will recommend a stocking for you.