If you get FHM be sure you are ready with buckets to divide them up and sort through them EACH ONE by hand. Be sure they are all FHM and nothing but FHM before they go in the pond.
Texas ponds can sometimes stock predators and forage together since they have warmer and longer growing seasons. The higher and longer reproduction time of the CNBG can keep up with the hungry predators.
I can't speak to that as our MI pond planning process is way different.
Look into and dabble with tilapia if you can.
Also you have a plan with 2 predators. Lots of texas ponds do have LMB and HSB but HSB are tricky with the texas heat.
I would ask other TX pond meisters about other strategies that you could try now that your pond is a blank slate that they wish they could have tried but could not because they already had LMB in their pond.
For example, how about a Tilapia, RES, HSB only pond?
Another interesting thing would be to research the forum here for the 2 folks who are trying to get southern yellow perch established in their ponds (I think they were Georgia and Florida ponds). It would be cool to have a warm tolerant YP strain, plus RES (low reproduction rates), and HSB pond. Tilapia could be added for algae control.
