Here is a question that I don’t remember being discussed on the forum:
What is the effect of large BG’s on BG and RES spawn?

Here’s the situation:
¼ acre nonaerated pond – limited feeding to maintain feed training.

~30+, 2-3#+ HSB
RES to 11+ inches with prolific annual spawn.
~30 MALE Arkansas CNBG, 9 – 11 inchers culled from main pond.
Six large FEMALE CNBG stocked last fall – five removed.
ONLY one seasonal (rolling) CNBG spawn that occurred

I believe (hope) that the HSB have controlled majority of prolific RES and CNBG spawn, but observe many fingerlings in the shallow bank area, inaccessible to the HSB.

Do you believe the mojo CNBG will have a significant effect in controlling spawn in shallow water?

george, I believe small juvenile BG (3" - 4") eat the most Lepomis fry/eggs. Both from literature (i.e. ewest) and from observing large numbers of them constantly swarming around RES nests this year. I'm sure they are pestering the BG nests just as much.

Adult BG are known to have a preference for eating other males' offspring instead of their own, so they must eat some fry. But the small BG outnumber the big BG and are not preoccupied spawning, so I will place my money on small BG eating the most babies.

WRT big BG eating larger (fingerling) BG/RES, I just have no idea.

George a BG is just as much a predator as a LMB or HSB. They will eat anything they can get in their small mouth. That includes large BG eating small BG. I have seen 10 in. BG eat BG and RES to about 2 in. and I catch them on small (2in) BG crank baits.

Bluegill are definitely naughty little predators. I know they eat quite a few small bluegill as I've found them in stomach contents, but I don't know if they could ever keep up with a decent year class.

I've witnessed first hand the phenomenon of HSB not being able to keep up with small bluegill. As stated before I've had a 1/8 acre pond that had hundreds and hundreds of 2+ pound hybrids, and NO structure for bluegill to hide and somehow there were BG fry all over the place in the shallows during fall.

Maybe have to stock some forage traned Pacu to control BG fry..
Don't want to stock ANY LMB in this pond...

george, do you have gams in that little grow out pond?

i think a management tool not discussed enough here is the effect of "millions" of gambusia on BG fry. i am watching my pond closely and believe i see what should have been huge schools of BG fry reduced to a few individuals because of both gambusia and larger lepomis predation. i had GSF, BG and RES spawns all summer, and just about the only "little" fish you see to date are (still) all the gams......very very few lepomis fry swimming around.

Dave I never thought of that - thanks....
Have them in main pond but not stocked in 1/4 acre pond - maybe the stork brought some...