Very interesting reading this morning. Lots of good info here. I need to take a bit more time, and more effort to see how my recruitment is going. I had schools of smaller fish along the banks all summer. When I tried to trap, I caught tadpoles. I know I had a lot of YP ribbons, and the RES had nests in shallow water. The GSH seem to be more numerous than they were last summer. I had nesting beds made for the SMB, but my water level dropped, and I think they ended up being a bit too shallow. So, I'm not sure if I ever had SMB recruitment. I've caught a lot of SMB, and they, for the most part, look very healthy with swollen bellies. All my fish were stocked between April and October 2015. Not sure when I'll have a SMB big enough to keep. Well, I guess I could keep, a few now, but I like the length goals listed in Bill's post of 16" or larger. Maybe I'll see one by this next fall. So far I've kept 100s of YP. But I over stocked a little, so I'm pretty sure I have extras.

Last edited by SetterGuy; 12/30/16 10:02 AM.

9 yr old pond, 1 ac, 15' deep.
RES, YP, GS, FHM (no longer), HBG (going away), SMB, and HSB (only one seen in 5 yrs) Restocked HSB (2020) Have seen one of these.
I think that's about all I should put in my little pond.
Otter attack in 2023