Update: Well I definitely have bullheads and GSF. Been catching both and removing from the old pond. Have lots of 3-4" GSF that I think are on spawning beds because in about 18" of water I can drag a #10 jig hook with about anything on it and get a strike along the shore line. If I don't get him the first time, keep dragging the jig past the same point and 8 times out of 10 will eventually get him. I say him because they are in male spawning colors.
Has caused a change in my goals. Will remove as many GSF and BH as I can, but know it is a hopeless cause. Will just try to minimize their reproduction. Put 4 12" CC and one 9" LMB and about 30 6-7" BG along with some other smaller BG. Will put in a few more LMB as I catch them out of the main pond.
Figure the pond will fill to capacity with some kind of fish, and the more fish I get in there other than GSF and BH, the more desirable fish in comparison to the unwanted fish there will be. In other words, will just try to out-spawn the BH and GSF and put some predators in to control the fry.
My intent was to not put predators in till next year, but with the level of GSF and BH I am catching, figure I can't wait that long or will have a complete pond filled with GSF and BH.
I really don't mind having some BH and GSF in this particular pond. I'll have to say, if nothing else is biting, they will still take a hook. So that is one positive thing about these two species of fish. I just don't want them to dominate the pond. I wouldn't mind some hybrids at all also with the GSF. I have been catching about 5% hybrids out of my main pond compared to the pure BG. They are NICE fish. Fat and some of the biggest and most aggressive I have in the main pond (and I may be catching a higher percentage of them because of their aggressiveness than what is actually representative in the pond total numbers)
Evolving goals. And that is ok. This IS my experimental pond. Glad I don't have this problem in my main pond.
