So I bought a new house that has an existing pond at the back of the property. The pond is approx. .05 or 1/25th of an acre, 5.5 feet in the deepest part. So I started feeding some catfish food just to find out what was in there. It looks like about 8 green sunfish 4 inches in length and 1 bass maybe 9 inches in length. So I was excited to get started and purchased 200 hybrid CNBG/GSF. I have noticed Bucky showing up at feeding time and making runs at my hybrids once or twice. He doesn't acknowledge the 2-3" fish but makes runs at the 1" fish. Is Bucky going to eat all my hybrids?!

Rule of thumb, I believe, is that a large mouth bass (LMB)can eat fish that are 2/3rds it's length OR is it 1/3rd? Either way, Bucky is big enough to eat your stockers. I'd get him out along with the green sunfish (GSF). The GSF can become an overpopulation problem in most cases.

Check out this very long but very informative read on keeping/growing blue gills...

http://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=189988#Post189988

The linked read is what got me accelerated into my pond hobby AND welcome to the club/forums!

EDIT: I would do some reading on aeration...a pond that small with that many fish could use some extra insurance against DO2 crashes. especially if you continue to feed and they get bigger.

Assuming the newly stocked HBG (hybrids) are the 1" length expect the 9" bass to eat on average 3 maybe 4 of the 1" fish per day when water is above 60F.

Stevie Ray Vaughan...err umm I mean SRP, welcome to the forum. 1/4 acre gives good advice. If Mr Bucky?(sounds like a name better suited to a beaver) eats 4 newly stocked 1" hybrids, you will have hybrids for 50 days. Kinda pricy snacks.
1/4 acre, I believe it's 1/3their own length. However I recall yrs ago on this forum someone posted a pic of a 15" LMB tryin ta swallow a 11' LMB. End of snacking for both.

Well, all bad news haha. So I guess I am going to let it play out while trying to get Bucky the buck bass to bite so I can mount him on my wall with a hybrid hanging from his lips. The GSF I will try to catch with a perch trap for now. I may pump it down next summer if all my hybrids are gone and dig it out a little more before re-stocking.

It is a little irritating to have to start over because feeding time is one of the highlights of my day.

When delt lemons..... make lemonade....let it play out and see what happens. It’s all fun no matter what kind of fish you have. Welcome to the forum

Hey Stevie Ray (way cool name BTW),
I'm a DIY'r when it comes to my fish. Everything has either been self propagated or bucket stocked. Back in early summer I transplanted 3 LMB ranging from 10.5 to 13 inches. At the time, I had loads of 2-3 inch BG and GSF and ranging upwards to a few near 7. Since their introduction, I've seen those smaller class fish steadily be reduced and lots of new fry/fingerlings take their place.

My hopes is that come spring, my LMB will now be able to have a successful spawn, whose newborn (if only 5 or 6 survive) will target those YOY BG and GSF. At which time the 3 original LMB will be removed (If I can catch them) and the process starts all over.

I've learned it's a waiting game and patience is indeed a virtue regarding crowd control on your pond' s inhabitants. Timing and size class of stockers is also very important. If you stock small, you're buying food for your larger fish. If you decide to restock, try to get larger breeders who can avoid being eaten. I haven't bucket stocked anything smaller than 3 inches.

On another note....if "Bucky" likes those small HBG, sounds like catching him should be pretty easy!!! Hint, hint.

Right now I am hoping that I can feed the little guys enough Optimal to get them up to the size he doesn't like. Take advantage of the hybrid growth rate.

If your initial 200 stocked fish were ranging from 1-3 inches, the the larger fish will have a better chance. Bucky will definitely make life rough on anything smaller than 3 inches. But consider this...the more Bucky eats...the bigger Bucky gets....and so does his food needs.

My largest LMB was maybe 13" when I put her in the pond. She's every bit of 15" now in just a few months. When she opens her mouth full gape, it's easily 4" in diameter. The only reason she's still here is I need her to spawn.

Well, good news for this mornings feeding. I still have a large amount of Hybrids that showed up to eat and bucky didn't make an appearance. A combination of dropping water line and lots of shallow vegetation might give these guys a fighting chance. I noticed that some of the Hybrid have grown enough to start feeding beside the bigger perch in the pond.

That is good to hear. Having some hiding places will definitely benefit those little ones. You'll find Bucky won't always be a threat. Mine don't show up every day either. I think it depends on how long it been since they've successfully fed.

Now that the smaller fish are taking to feed, they'll grow much faster.

I skipped yesterday evening and this mornings feeding. Showed up to feed and my hybrids really showed up, hungry and waiting for feed. I guess they are really getting in tune with my footsteps. When I walked up to the edge they were in a pile waiting for feed. I am jacked up! Ready to see my little monsters grow and survive the Bucky attacks.