They will grow rapidly if fed commercial fish feeds and are excellent for angling. Hybrid bluegill, however, are not sterile as is sometimes claimed. Most are males but if females are present they will reproduce. Every 3 to 4 years the pond will need to be drained and restocked. Golden shiners, fathead minnows, and threadfin shad can be stocked for forage.
Many states promote the use of golden shiners or threadfin shad as bass forage.
Both species can reproduce rapidly in ponds and provide excellent forage for bass. Golden shiners will compete with young bream for food, eat bass and bream eggs, and can overpopulate even if bass are not over-harvested. Bass have a difficult time controlling their numbers because these fish, as well as crappie, reproduce about the same time of year, so that young bass are not large enough to eat them. Threadfin shad are excellent bass forage but may not survive winter temperatures in some parts of Alabama. Fathead minnows are slow swimmers and do not grow large as adults.