I am wondering if anyone has added large YP to an established BG/LMB pond? My pond is a little over 1 acre. What effect would this likely have? Would the number of larger LMB likely increase?

My general rule for adding YP to an existing BG-LMB pond is to stock YP that are close to 50% of the length of the larger bass. The more the YP length is of less than one half the length of the biggest bass results in a lower survival rate of the stocked perch. I think that adding a new fusiform fish into a bass population causes the LMB to tend to target these new inhabitants and consider them as easy to swallow tasty morsels compared to wide bodied BG. Any reproduction of the YP results in some slender bodied food items for all the smaller bass that are able to eat them. Increased predation by bass of perch compared to Sunfish relates back to handling time of predators. The less the handling time and quickler a predator can swallow a food item the better the chance of the predator successfully keeping the food and it not being stolen by another more hungry competing predator.

With decent cover, will stocking large YP establish a sustaining population, and if so, what will that do to the BG and LMB? I think that the YP in the SMB pond are building, so I am trying to weigh the pros and cons of moving some large YP to the BG/LMB pond in the future.

Even with decent cover, I think the LMB would eliminate most, if not all, YP offspring. As Cody alluded to, they'd quickly become your LMB's favorite food.

So it sounds liker adding them might do very little, but on the other hand, there is not much risk of hurting the pond by putting a few in?

Sounds right. I think you have a better chance of never seeing one again than you do of them ever taking over.

That is what I was wondering. Thanks!

Adding the YP to existing BG-LMB has two main implications IMO. 1. Bass will prey more on the YP including offspring and give some predation relief to the BG. Similar to what happens when tilapia are added to BG-LMB ponds. 2. Surviving YP will occupy some of the carrying capacity and all those species that able to compete will change the structure of the fishery to some degree from what it was before the YP were stocked. IMP and experience YP are not strong competitors especially when habitat that favors them is lacking.

Maybe I should leave well enough alone...

RAH, I stocked pre spawn YP in October of 2015. They were between 6 and 8 inches long. I stocked 100 into a 4 acre pond. I did not see any ribbons last year, nor did I trap any fry (admittedly, I only put the trap out 4 or 5 times). I will be looking for ribbons again this year over the next few months.

My goal was to see if it would do just what you asked about, increase the size of the lm by adding another limited forage and increasing recruitment of bg and re.

I'll post if I see any ribbons this year or trap any fry.

Do you have many plants in the pond?

Rah, some, but probably not enough.

I have added some YP to my LMB, BG, CC pond. More less to see if they survive. Some do, some get big, but overall slow growing and low survival rate.........just like Cody has said for years.

To have better success with YP than just mediocre,,, one has to stock and manage them properly. This concept is not a whole lot different than achieving good success with any fish species, such as SMB, RES, WE, and even BG-LMB). Lots of ponds that I am familiar with have a mediocre BG-LMB community. (Mediocre - moderate or low quality, value, ability, or performance.)

Absolutely agree Bill. I knew this throwing some in. I just wanted a meal of them once a year. It's fun to see a strangers face when they catch one too. For some reason it's the last thing they expect.