Tracy, yesterday morning the brood pond was 59 degrees on the surface, then 54 degrees on the rest. The big pond is very different. It's probably a 1,000' or more from the dam to the top end of the pond, and those surface temps fluctuate as much as 4 degrees. When there's no wind affecting it, the shallowest water at the top of the pond is usually warmer. If you're asking for the reason I think you are, then I'm no help on the LMB spawn. The big pond has been fluctuating from between the upper 50's, to the low 60's for weeks now, and I've seen several beds that were stopped, and had neither LMB or CNBG on them. I've seen no new beds at all, but I sure wouldn't bet against that changing week after next, if it hasn't all ready.
Yes, air is for the brood pond. I see no scenario where I'll ever add it to the big pond because of $$$$. It is kind of like a fountain without the throw, but the addition of air at the pump, and the ability to pull water at any defined level gives me options. It'll make sense once you see it. I'll post my initial thoughts, whether it works or not.
The only real goal I had in 2016 and then this early spring, was to see how many months I could grow forage with no legacy fish left in the pond. The tilapia died when it got cold, and now the trout will die when the water warms up. That means no draining, seining, and killing out the pond before this year's project. Best I can tell, I'll get 9-10 months of forage growth, with no residual fish.
As far as my goals specifically with the RBT, they're purely informational and recreational. I'm by the brood pond 3-4 times a day, and I enjoy having the more immediate results that a smaller pond provides. Will these trout add weight to the LMB? Sure they will, but let me throw a few numbers out. Just for round numbers, let's assume I have 50 LMB per acre, and 25 of those are capable of eating an 8"-10" RBT. On my 11 acre pond, that means I would be feeding 300 LMB. At 10 pounds of forage for a 1 pound weight gain, I would need 3,000 pounds of RBT to make a difference. Add to that the short period that they may even live in this pond's warmer water, and I think the benefits would lessen greatly. It's like the difference in eating a huge steak, and needing to let your belt out, and eating 4,000 calories a day for extended periods. One adds long term weight, and one is temporary. I'm ok with that.
Tracy, the plan right now is to dump 5 gallon buckets of RBT for several days, and then stock the rest in one drop. When I do that, my hope is that carnage ensues. The only obvious issues that readily come to mind might be the rising water temp, which further shortens the RBT survivability, or if the female LMB are on the beds when the RBT are put in. If they're on the beds, then they'll most likely miss their trout treats.
