Yes, in northern ponds the stunting of BG is a major concern. Stocking your BG ahead of your bass in ponds as far north as yours will almost certainly lead to stunting of the BG and can be very hard to change. In northern ponds it's best to give the LMB a good head start over the BG. I like to have the LMB spawning for the first time the same spring the BG do.

If you are interested in YP, these can be stocked as well. With LMB present, you may have to restock them every couple of years. If you pellet feed your fish, and stock pellet trained YP you could grow some very nice sized YP to supplement your BG fillets. Two fine eating fish... After about 3 to 4 years, you can harvest a dozen or so LMB per year to eat as well if interested without harming their control over the BG.