The fact that SMB aren't as prolific as LMB and don't tend to decimate the forage in a pond like LMB is the main reason I've decided to stock them.

I don't think I'm going to worry too much about silt unless I see it getting to be a problem... If needed I could always add new rock on top of a few of the beds that seem to be preferred by the male bass.

Going back to stocking rates... I'm thinking very strongly of stocking SMB at a very low rate. I had planned to stock 120 this fall but am considering dropping this number to 50-60 fish. My thinking here is these fish should grow really fast and this would help keep less pressure on the forage base. Also, this would save some money that I could spend on forage fish and Crayfish. Any downside to doing this?? I could always stock more SMB the following fall...