I think that since the pond is small, and HSB are relatively easy to get, even in larger sizes (talk to Rex), I'd remove the LMB and SMB, get the forage base established, then put the predators back in. You'd be suprised at how many fish you can remove with a seine or fyke net in a smaller BOW if the BG get outta hand. I haven't caught a bass in a fyke net, so to remove them, it's angling or electro shock.
You might not catch all the bass, but even at that, it would be much easier to get the forage base established. If the bass are in there, it's almost impossible to get the forage base established after the fact.
I can tell you from experience, even stocking a LOT of minnows won't get them established if you don't have the cover for them to hide in if there are SMB in the pond.
A client has YP and SMB in the pond, with minimal weed cover, there was maybe 10% coverage and no hard cover in the pond besides 3-4 root balls. 1 ac pond, FHM and GSH were stocked at 50% the recommended rate, then let breed for a year. 60 SMB were stocked, and within a year the FHM were gone. Next year 50# of FHM were hand sorted and stocked, and within a year those were gone too. RW of the SMB that are 12"-14" in that pond is as low as mid 70% now. The goal for this year is to remove low RW SMB to hopefully let the forage base build back up, and add more hard cover to the pond.
Say you get the pond renovated by June. It will take the plants at least a year to get established, and the bass will be chowing down on the forage in the meantime. Next year they will be large enough to spawn (if not this year) and the forage base will still not be established, and the YOY forage will take a huge hit.
Don't forget that during the winter up here the plants die back and don't provide a lot of cover for the forage to hide in. Yes, the bass slow down eating, but they still eat all winter long.
In my pond, I have problems with cover. Not enough due to fluctuating water levels. LMB have a field day eating forage in a virtual bathtub. I've put in more than 2500 culled BG from another pond that were 2"-4" long in late October just to try and shore up the BG forage and there were virtually no BG to be seen the next Spring. Granted, I had about 200# of LMB in the pond at that time, but that just goes to show how many BG LMB can eat.
With the availability of larger HSB, SMB, LMB and with your smaller pond, I don't think I'd be too concerned with stunting BG. Those can be removed with a Fyke Net if needed. You'd probably be spending the cost of a fyke net in minnows trying to get the forage base established if the bass in the pond get outta hand.
