What's the point of genuses (genera) if they can cross? It's bad enough that species cross. One of the 2010 posts asked why not stock both rock bass and wormouth if both are available? That seems like a good question. It doesn't appear that either is likely to mess up a BG - LMB pond. It sounds more likely that the bass will wipe them out, or the BG will out compete them. But I haven't found that either RB or wormouth is available.
I've been actively managing a pond for only three years. So what I am about to say is not from very much experience but from what I have gleaned from my reading and here on PBF. I have been managing GSF in one old pond though. But these are my observations.
It seems to me northern PBF owners seem to have more of a hate/fear of the feisty GSF than southern pond owners. Maybe because of the length of spawning season for BG in the north vs south??? Don't know.
There are several threads that deal with ponds where GSF have established early and ruined a stocking plan. Including my old refurbished pond (
100% GSF ). Somehow the GSF get a head start on the forage fish to be stocked. Then with the bass like GSF big mouth and voracious aggressive appetite they keep ahead of the stocked forage and never let it get established. This seems to be where the GSF really can devastate a pond. In the early stocking stage of a new pond.
Dave Davidson, the bad influence he is, has been the voice in my head that has caused me to be putting a dozen or so GSF in my large pond. I have caught/trapped a few GSF out of my sediment pond (which were likely hitch hikers in my stocking of RES and CNBG when I stocked this pond) and rather than destroying them putting them in my main pond. I've also grown at least tolerant (if not fond like Dave) of my GSF and I definitely like the hybrids they produce. But this is a three year old pond that has probably tens of thousands of BG (from 8+" down to new fry) so the addition of a dozen or two GSF is unlikely (in my opinion) to upset the BG apple cart.
In my old refurbished pond, it was another story. The GSF started out from a puddle and got the jump on my stocking plans, so the aggressive GSF got control of the pond. I had to trap and fish out lots of them while adding 5-6" BG to finally get ahead of the GSF so something else could get established.
So in my un-expert opinion, some of the other than BG lepomis are likely to be a problem only if they get established to early in the game where they get control of the pond and keep desired species from gaining a foothold. In a pond with a well established foundation of BG for forage, I don't see a small population of GSF causing me a problem. But an early established population of GSF did cause me a problem in my old pond. The addition of adult BG in significant numbers (several hundred large enough the GSF could not eat) finally tilted the balance against the GSF and now I have both GSF and BG recruitment in that old pond. Will be interesting to see what happens to that population mix over the next few years.
I could be making a mistake putting a few GSF and hybrid BG in my established BG/LMB/CC pond, but I don't think so. Panfish and a little fun with easily caught fish are my goals (I get bored quickly fishing if nothing is biting). Nothing trophy (well maybe a trophy GSF out of my old pond would be ok). Others with other goals probably never want to see a GSF in their pond.
