A good start to get good quality fish is to Know Your Fish by doing some homework.
IMO one of the several main things to know is, can you trust what the fish guy tells you????
The 2nd or maybe even the 1st thing to know is for the fish you plan to purchase is - how big should your best growing fish species be as a YOY(Fall), 1 yr old(spring) or 2 yr old. Know the slow, medium and fast growth rates for each species you are interested in. Obviously the fast growing fish will be your 1st choice, followed by the medium and lastly the slow growers. Usually in spring at about 1 yr old any fish other than minnows, at 2"-3" long is a slow grower. IMO usually you don't really want them.
