So I've heard. But is that a good thing or a bad thing?
On one hand I envision the SMB eating more shiners and less RES fry. But the whole purpose of the SMB IS to eat the RES fry to limit their reproduction (and prevent stunting).
The question I ponder is, if the GS eat the RES eggs, will they eat too many? In reality in a one acre pond I probably only need for maybe a hundred or two hundred of the RES fry per year make it to a size larger than the SMB can eat. So I NEED for the RES to not populate too much. I want a nice supply of 8 to 10" RES to catch. But I do need some reproduction. Or restock RES out of my forage pond which has raised RES fry like crazy this year.
Thanks for the reply. Trying to ponder the available outcomes. In my forage pond the GS are about thick enough to walk on right now. Yet I can still cast a cast net and get several RES fry per throw if done at the correct time of day and in the right location. So in the tiny 1/10th acre forage pond (that has lacked predators other than a hand full of adult GSF till I put 10 6-9" SMB in last December) I have both huge GS reproduction yet still have taken hundreds of 3" RES fry out of the pond. So at least to date, the GS have not been able to wipe out the RES reproduction. Now that could change this year. Who knows. But last year I had great reproduction of both GS and RES in that forage pond.
I guess I am trying to have my cake and eat it too. RES is the primary goal of the pond. But can I enhance the growth of the SMB (secondary goal) by adding GS without diminishing the primary goal? Rainman votes no, and I value his expertise.
I'll be interested to hear from some that have GS in with their RES and SMB.
It will also be interesting to observe my forage pond this year now that 10 SMB have been added to that 1/10th acre pond thick with GS and RES. I am really curious how much the SMB can "whoop up" on those thick GS as the SMB get some size.
