The pond was just built this spring so all the FHM fry are still very small. I also put some 3" RES and recently seen them making a nest and one pair mating. Was kind of surprised they would reproduce this year.
Don't know how many minnows will be able to take out. Especially with the RES in there also, because they are surely working on the FHM fry.
My intention is, when the FHM get big enough, to put a minnow trap in the pond periodically transfer minnows to the main pond. Don't know if I will be able to do that daily or weekly or whatever yet.
Probably will be next year before I pull any FHM out. I thought my main pond the FHM would be pretty well wiped out this year because as the LMB were put in last fall, the numbers of FHM seemed to be dropping rapidly this spring. But the FHM must have got a really good spawn off, because now the half grown fry are just thick all around the edge of the entire circumference of the 3 acre pond. So no need for FHM out of the forage pond just yet (plus they are not big enough). I suspect when the LMB spawn next spring and get a new batch of predators working on the minnow population, about next May or June will be the time to start transferring minnows from the forage to the main pond.
The other goal for the forage pond was to raise up some RES in a pond where there were no predators, to get good reproduction. Hopefully next year I also get a bunch of RES fry that I can grow up at least a few of them to a size predators are unlikely to eat and transfer them to different ponds. Having the RES in the mix will surely reduce the potential FHM production.
It's as much an experiment as anything. Actually right now am working on the dam to raise the water level about a foot. The overflow was just rock covered. Digging it down and replacing dam in its place and will be putting an overflow pipe about a foot above the original overflow height.
Also built a sediment pond a couple months ago and stocked FHM. Already seeing a few fry in that pond. I think maybe 0.2 acre but have not measured it yet. It can also serve as a forage pond for a while, but at some point the elevation and overflow is such that during a large rain event fish from the main pond will get into it. So eventually it will end up with predators. But it will serve as a forage pond till that happens.
