Thanks for the responses. I must admit, I am really a bass fisherman trying to catch these hybrids on artifical lures with little luck. I did try using the pellets as bait this past summer, and I can tell you that trick also works on hybrids. In regard to using hybrids for crappie control, I feel I have been pretty successful. The first two years I had my pond (which was built in 1920), I caught and released over 75 bass between 6-8 pounds. However, I had no natural bass reproduction to speak of because of the large numbers of stunted crappie. I can tell you first hand what crappie can do to a bass fishery in even a 15 acre pond if they are not properly controlled. Since my objective was to manage my pond for numbers of decent sized bass rather than an occasional large bass, the state fish biologist recommended I stock the hybrids to help reduce the number of crappie in addition to removing all the crappie that I caught. Seven years later, I am catching large numbers of decent sized bass (with an occasional lunker), as well brim and crappie the size of your hand. In fact, I am at a point where I am harvesting all bass under 14 inches. I really feel the hybrids played a key role in helping me attain my pond management objectives.
