Looking for more information from those of you who raise or have raised HSB or SMB in ponds from fingerlings. Best case scenario what weights could you expect to achieve after being stocked from fingerlings to one year later? 1-2+ pounds possible?

If 4"-5" SMB are stocked in April with a pond full of food (minnows & crayfish), then yes I have seen the stockers grow to 10.5"-12" maybe a few 13" by end of first summer (1mm/day) in TN with warmer water in October. HSB can easily grow to 12"-13" in one summer when fed pellets. I have done that several times in one summer-fall with the HSB (4") in a cage.

That's good to hear. At what length should I be concerned about SMB & HSB preying on YOY if I do ladder stocking program.

You will always have larger fish preying on smaller fish; that is what they do. If the small fish fits in the mouth of the larger fish the small fish is a food item candidate. Your only control of this is the number and size of fish that are restocked and to a certain extent the amount of refuge area available. At the extreme, too much refuge in the form of a lake full of weeds results in not enough predation. Knowing the number of restocked fish that survive is part of the management monitoring program.

This is basically exactly what I've observed. Growth rates in the first couple of years in a new pond can be really stellar.
The SMB recruits will start preying on YOY of everything else immediately. We've had really wierd weather this year, I had what seems like a very late, very heavy SMB spawn this year and have schools of 2-3" SMB all over right now. They're incredibly aggressive--woe be to any late hatching BG. This is the latest in the season by far that I've seen such numbers of yoy SMB.

They are sometimes hard to find, but pellet trained SMB are out there.......

Most likely will stay away from pellet trained SMB as they probably come with a extra price tag. HSB on the other hand I will pellet feed to a certain point. Another question would be how long to keep them in a grow out cage? Keep them in the cage till the first winter or keep them over winter in a cage?

For the growth potential, and the reduced impact on your forage fish population, I'd reconsider not looking at pellet trained SMB. What price premium? Even if it's $2/fish premium, you won't be spending more than $200 or so for the feed trained SMB vs. non-feed trained SMB. In the grand scheme of things, I think the $$ is worth it. If they overeat your forage base, how much will re-stocking forage fish cost?

With pellet trained SMB you will also be able to monitor their numbers and sizes better than not pellet trained. The recruitment SMB will not have a very high percent of pellet eating individuals 10-15% if you are lucky. As one member does you can cut back on pellet feeding and the pellet eaters resort back to eating natural foods until pellets resume.

Pellet trained SMB and HSB are you feeding them a sinking style pellet or a floating style? I know adding hard rayed fish are frowned apon using in HSB & SMB ponds, but would redears and pumpkinseeds help diversity the forage size.

Floating pellets.

I have a client that has RES and YP in a SMB (the only predator) pond. The SMB are running under WR, so they need thinning out.

IIRC Dave Willis said PS have too high fecundity for them to work with SMB like RES will.

I don't think it's the sharp spines, I think it's the taller body (rounder vs. more fusiform) that limits what size fish the SMB and HSB eat. They have smaller mouths than a LMB of the same size.

I was using 7"-8" BG as bait on Raccoon Reservoir to catch Striped Bass, but they were running 15+ pounds.

Ok, kinda figured if you were getting good growth in the first and second growing season by the third year the HSB & SMB would start targeting mid-sized panfish. Good to know on the PS. I really need to get a few Dave Willis books and dig my face in them for a few weeks. So much knowledge out there.