That's how I feel about it...seining and stocking fatheads in huge numbers can't hurt. I'm breeding fatheads in a fishless shallow pond through the summer to seine and stock in the target pond. I'd like to think (ignorance is bliss) that I'm at least putting some weight on the "forage" fish, such as perch, crappie and bluegill...which in turn will provide a bit more meat to the bass preying on them.
I know many people think fatheads are a waste of money but like he said, free is free if you can grow your own. I've also seen billions of fatheads in some wild strip ponds I fish in southern Ohio. These ponds aren't stocked, and contain plenty of bass, crappie, and bluegill. I can't say why the fatheads survive in such large numbers, but maybe it has something to do with the amount of brush and beaver cuttings lining the banks for them to hide in.
There was a discussion a month or so ago on this forum in which some people wondered if bluegill will eat fatheads. I can say with out a doubt that when I fish with fatheads below a bobber I catch lots of bluegill, and they tend to be the bigger bluegill in the pond on average compared to using maggots.
Another thing to think about...when I stock small fish from the fish farm into this established pond (smaller fish are cheaper but more prone to being ate by the bass), I like to dump a bunch of fatheads into the pond a few minutes before stocking the other fish. I do this in the hopes that the fatheads will distract the predators while the other fish can find places to hide. Probably fooling myself, but hey...
