...PS Re the question of whether TP are worth stocking for LMB, it would be interesting to note what happens to LMB & BG numbers & relative weights in ponds where TP are stocked, and compare to ponds where they aren't.
I can answer that one. And, just for clarity, I'm talking about what I know and personally experienced here in Hooterville.
I've done the spring/fall TP stocking for the last several years. What has happened with my LMB is that the average relative weight has increased from 80% to 95%. RWs were verified by 2 post spawn electroshockings, and no LMB over 8#'s were factored into the numbers. I also picked the post spawn timing so that I could get a more accurate "walking around" weight of the females, so no egg laden females were weighed either.
My 6-9" CNBG numbers have also exploded to the point I'm culling them. Springtime numbers of 3-4" CNBG have increased also. As of this morning, the 4-6" CNBG (that were 3-4" early this spring) are decimating the LMB beds. One LMB bed with a male guarding it was surrounded by at least 20 CNBG. The bed was extremely silty from the constant attacks, and the LMB just wound up swimming away. For my big pond, this means greatly reduced LMB cull days. My personal experience is that it's far, far easier to add LMB, than to control their numbers once they're skewed to the high side.
Hourly LMB catch rates have dropped slightly, but the pounds caught per hour have stayed fairly consistent. My 2#'s are getting shorter, and I'm very ok with that.
I've also stocked TP in my hatchery pond several times as forage at rates as high as 200#'s per acre. Since they were being eaten daily, there were no biomass problems, nor any floaters when the water temp dropped.
