Centrarchid, you described my pond to a tee. I have a very expansive shallow area...probably 3/5th of the pond is between 2-4ft..then drops to probably 8-10 all the way across the levee. I have to get some good measurements soon while its up close to full pool. I have some man made structure, sunken truck tires, a couple cedar trees, a few stacks of pallets but nothing substantial like some. The funny thing about my GSF is I catch them everywhere...they love the shallows but you would not think they were worried to much about predators.

I'm really interested in both BG and GSF spawning habits. I have seen pictures of many beds and mine just have a different look to them. They are very dissimilar in size which I would assume was relative to the size of the fish?? They clean the spot very well, but are not always circular. I have read that GSF spawn once a year...is this true? Since I have these beds in inches of water and very close to shore I would think they were GSF. But I know that BG spawn continually until cool weather. I really need to get a siene net like ewest talked about.

With my goal of more BG and knowing about how GSF are with juvenile BG, am I on the right track by waiting until next year to give the LMB a little more time to work on the GSF then adding another 100 adult BG maybe next spring?

Thanks everyone. I really am enjoying this topic.

Edit: Hey snrub, I have read yours multiple times and the other. So that plan worked for you? That gives me hope. I really don't have a problem with them like I did, but for the goals I have, they just don't really fit. When you say added some over a year a so...about how many do you think? Just as you caught them or a good sized number each time? When your GSF were so prevalent what did the beds look like? Did they line shores all summer long? Some of mine even seem to merge into two or three. Mine do not really make a hole because I have so much gravel. Would it help the BG out if I made a sand spawning zone? I might could do that.

Thanks again!

Last edited by peachgrower; 08/13/17 10:08 PM.