I just got back from talking to my fish guy(he only lives 2 miles from me)and he is concerned about using GSH because they are predatory too. He suggested stocking FHM when I thought I needed them. I asked him if he thought I had to many LMB and he said no, a good rule of thumb for him in our climate is 5-1. But he did say if I wanted HSB I should remove some LMB. He's been doing this for 42 years and ships all over central US. So now I'm really confused! I've known him all my life so I don't think he is just trying to sell me fish.
JD..without implying anything toward your supplier one way or another, longevity has little to do with quality or knowledge, often it is as simple as being the location and lack of competition. There are a lot of farms that fill orders and make recommendations based solely on what stock is available and most profitable...similar to many car dealers.
Adding Fatheads in mature ponds will make your small LMB do better, and only speed an overabundance of LMB in most situations. Removing Biomass, providing proper structure, and/or adding the proper sized forage is the best way to manage effectively.
GSH being somewhat predatory is not always a bad thing if it slows the overpopulation of LMB and in turn produce forage in a wider range of size classes.
