Sounds like you have things going pretty darn good Mike.
Of all the fish in my pond it is the LMB that I am most disappointed in as far as reproduction goes. But first I have to admit that I rarely fish specifically for LMB. Having only been actively fishing regularly the past three years since we built this new pond, to date the BG and RES fishing interests me more than the LMB. I'm leaning towards some comments that Sprkplug and Shorty have made indicating that the LMB were more their trash fish there to control the BG population.
I have some very nice LMB estimated in the 4-6# range that friends catch occasionally and once in a great while I will catch one while fishing for BG. But I have yet to catch this year or last any 12" LMB or see any LMB fry swimming along the bank with the BG. I have an abundance of BG and in fact became worried enough this year of over population that we have removed about a hundred in the 6-8" range and ate them. Threw anything back over 8".
So I am questioning if my LMB are doing their job. All the ponds I am acquainted with in this area if left to their own devices will end up eventually LMB over populated with lots of small LMB. I keep waiting to start catching a bunch of small LMB while I'm fishing for BG but no luck.
So what I have been wondering is if the BG are so thick they are eating all the LMB fry and eggs or if my LMB are just not very prolific. This is the third year after stocking the LMB on September 2 2013 with 350 fingerlings in a 3 acre pond. I have lost a few and removed a few to move to my old pond, but with more than 100 per acre stocked I would think I should have had plenty of LMB.
It just puzzles me I'm not seeing any recruitment and also to address your question that I am not seeing at least a few LMB learning to hit the LMB pellets. The only reason I have the LMB pellets is that the feed dealer ordered in LMB pellets instead of the Aquamax MVP I ordered. I kept a couple bags to play with knowing the CC would eat them if nothing else would.
So that is my story on the LMB. Maybe I'm just too impatient. I built two small ponds and am raising extra forage in them in the anticipation that I would need it. Well quite the opposite so far as I have an abundance of forage and a shortage of LMB. Maybe that is a good problem to have, don't know. The LMB my friends catch seem to be fat and happy. But no pellet takers as far as I have seen.
