Originally Posted By: Kent
Theo, the CNBG were very small when I stocked them, probably about 1-1/2" or smaller. They have also grown tremendously. I don't know what the growth rate should be, but the grandkids have caught a couple that are the size of an adult's hand. I don't think they're all like that, I'm not sure because I haven't allowed any serious fishing yet. The ones that I can see coming up for the feed look 4"-5" long. As far as whether they spawned or not, I can't tell. I wouldn't think that they did because of their small size when I stocked them. That's why I was going to wait until this coming spring to stock the LMB, just to be sure the CNBG had chance to spawn.
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Theo, how many LMB should I stock this spring and what size? I would like to stock a larger fish so the growing time would be shorter.


LMB stocked next Spring will have the following to eat:
1) Beau Coup FHM, up to adult size (3"-4" max),
2) A virtually certain 2008 CNBG spawn, size immaterial until later in the year,
3) Adult CNBG stocked this year, probably mostly in the 5"-6" range, and
4) Adult CC well over a foot in length.

Any LMB you put in should have plenty of the right-sized food available to thrive and grow well. Food source #4 is pretty much out of contention. You don't want the LMB to eat food source #3 - these CNBG are the foundation of your forage base, that you want to spawn as much as possible next year and, over time, fill the pond with BG of all sizes for bass of all sizes. Food source #1 and #2 will have to do, as far as forage fish. I would think (more input on this, PLEASE) that FHM would be decent forage for LMB up to about 6" in length.

An alternative might be feed trained LMB, if available. If fed a high-protein fish feed to provide most of their food requirements, they could be stocked at a larger size. Your developing forage base (mostly the CNBG, I bet even feed trained LMB will put a world of hurt on FHM) will live to feed the next generation of bass. 5"-6" BG should be pretty safe from predation by LMB as large as 10"-12", if the latter are occupied eating pellets.

I would stock 75-100 LMB in small sizes if I intended to manage for large BG, or 25-35 LMB if I wanted to manage for large bass. We usually lower stocking numbers if larger fish are used (One reason is you don't have to figure some of them will die before reaching a larger size, since they're already there). I am less comfortable with large LMB stocking numbers, but as a WAG I'd go 50-60 if managing for large BG, 20-25 if managing for large bass.

"Live like you'll die tomorrow, but manage your grass like you'll live forever."
-S. M. Stirling
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