How to Raise Wild Shiners
- 1). Find a pond. A 1-acre pond would support up to 5,000 golden shiners and allow for spawning. Remove predator game fish such as bass, crappie, catfish or other aggressive fish.
- 2). Place a bubble aerator in the pond to help supply oxygen. Keep the pond at a constant 70 to 80 degrees to maximize egg laying.
- 3). Add clean gravel to the pond. Create future spawning beds for the shiners by walking several feet into the pond and scattering clean gravel into the water. Use gravel no more than 1-inch in diameter. Smooth the gravel to create an even base on the bottom of the pond.
- 4). Scatter larger rocks and natural cover throughout the pond to enable shiners to hide from predators. Natural cover can be driftwood, large rocks and aquatic plants that occur in the natural habitat of the golden shiner. Add a man-made obstruction by cutting the end off a trash can and weighing it down with cement blocks, leaving an open passage for shiners to swim and congregate.
- 5). Purchase your golden shiners. Visit a hatchery and check the quality of the shiners.
- 6). Introduce your shiners to the pond and allow them to rest for a full day before feeding them.
- 7). Keep a record of the amount of commercial food you feed the shiners. Feed your golden shiners a commercial fish food that contains small worms such as fly larvae or mealworms.
- 8). Leave your shiners undisturbed and allow them to spawn.
- 9). Keep a record of the size of shiners every 2 months. Scoop up shiners with 6-foot nylon net. Measure the length of the shiner from head to tail. Once your shiners reach 2 to 3 inches, they will be ready to harvest as bait.
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