Adding more forage minnows regularly should be no problem. Extra minnows will increase the chances some survive to be next years breeders. Rock bass will eat small fish,including fry of YP & SMB, and insect larvae thus compete with YP and smaller SMB. I prefer the others over rock bass. Not a lot of experience has been reported here for using rock bass. Rock bass could be a possibility and considered experimental. One would have to be watchful of number of young produced each year. IMO SMB will control YP better than they will rock bass due to body shape and location of the prey. IMO SMB are not 'good' and well adapted at eating primarily sunfish.
I would use dead tree branches compared to fresh evergreen limbs. Needles and leaves add a lot of unnecessary organic material to the pond. Consider building some of the PVC structure shown by others here which will last longer than tree branches. Small parts of the branches quickly deteriorate in water.
Don't be concerned if you cannot stock more than 10-15 SMB this year. Each SMB will probably eaily eat 400-600 minnows until ice off next spring; maybe each could consume 8-10 minnows per day in 55+ temp water? Fewer bass this year would allow for more minnows to survive into next spring's spawning season. SMB should provide a spawn next year to help control a YP spawn. Next year and year after more smallies can be added toward the 30-50 goal.
Watch for YP egg ribbons on branches each mid-late April (water temps 49-54F). I remove all egg strands that I see to minimize YP overabundance. This is important until you get or reach the goal density of the SMB stockers. Usually one of two YP egg ribbons go unnoticed and provide lots of new YP each year. I have discovered that reproducing smallies can easily control YP in low weed cover habitats. Minnows rarely have a chance of survival in these types of smaller ponds.
Last edited by Bill Cody; 06/24/12 04:55 PM.
