Yes IMO those are pure GSF. YOur other fish may be some hybrid bluegill you are seeing? IMO and experience I would not stock any 3"-4" LMB until you are seeing numerous new sunfish 1" long. Until then the new fingerling bass will not compete very well with the existing larger sunfishes and smallest bass will have very poor survival due to lack of invertebrate food and competition from too many starving sunfish 3"-5" long. You will be much better off spending that money to buy more 7"-8" LMB, especially if you are catching in traps 2"-3" sunfish/BG.
Often the hatchery is delivering in our area / region and you can meet the fish truck somewhere.
How long to see a turn around? Depends on how you define a turn around. IMO significiant progress is when you see numerous bass fingerlings naturally produced in your pond. If numerous sunfish are not removed at the same time then turn around will be slower. Seven acres is a lot of water to get back into balance due to the tremendous numbers of over populated sunfish you are dealing with. One acre is one thing and 7 ac is a significantly greater task. I think your goal while supplimentally stocking bass should be to remove 300-400 small sunfish per acre (2100-3000). Balance will be achieved quicker if you stock another 60-80 6"-8" LMB next year (2012). Maybe now readers will better realize the value of 25-30 LMB per acre, esp when a pond is overpopulated with sunfish/BG.
In your trapping do you have any idea of the ratio of BG:Sunfish (non-BG) that you are catching. Separate, count, and determine the ratio. It will also help to categorize them by size assuming your trap has a 3"-4" high opening. Are you using a larger trap?
Last edited by Bill Cody; 05/29/11 09:12 PM.
