Well, it's finally predator stocking day in SE Texas for me. My pond renovation and expansion was completed 10 months ago today. I have (to my knowledge) only a forage base in my mud hole. CNBG, RES, FHM, Grass Shrimp, Gambusia minnows (thanks Pat W.), and Golden Shiners. I picked up my Camelot Bell LMB YOY at Overton's this morning along with some feed. As always, Todd packaged them up nicely to ride in the backseat of my pickup. I get my jon boat in the water and commence to acclimating the young predators to the water temperature (in the open bag) alongside the boat. A school of curious Gambusia Minnows comes swimming up to the bag of LMB. As I'm adding pond water to the bag of fishery water, a CB Bass swims out and completely knocks a young Gambusia minnow right out of the water, then swims off. I thought, guess what guys, "there's a new sheriff in town"...in the meantime as the acclimating continues, the rest of the CB Bass all swim out into the pond to the shallow end near the feeder. I paddle across the pond and secure the boat and notice the frenzy going on underneath the feeder, in the cedar branch structure pile. There are slaps on the surface of the water and little gambusia's and FHM young flying all over the place. Understand, the forage in my pond have never seen any predators. Their world changed today. Hard to believe these little guys (see below) can have that much attitude. Can't wait until they get several pounds....it ought to be interesting.
