I have a significant number of naturally produced hybrids in this main pond. Some RESxGSF but mostly CNBGxGSF.

They were actually produced in my sediment pond I assume because of regular turbid water inflows (sometimes difficult for species to identify each other) and a very limited number of GSF to spawn with (mostly RES and CNBG). This situation seemed to set up the perfect conditions to get lots of hybrids. When I had a runoff accident and was having a massive fish kill in that 1/10th acre pond the fish were gasping at the surface and the wind blew them to one end so I just dip netted thousands of fish from an inch long up to 6" or so and transferred them to my main pond. I mostly did not want to loose the CNBG and RES I was raising in that pond but along with them were all the hybrids too and no time to separate.

I have learned to appreciate the hybrids and for a pan fish fishery I really like them.

An anecdote from a few nights ago. I was fishing off the dock for BG to transfer down to my old pond that I think the cormorants mostly wiped out in that pond. So I did not really care what size and was just using my crappie rod like a cane pole flipping the small jig in shallow water near the bank and pulling one fish right after the other out to put in a bucket of water to take to my old pond. By my early results you would have thought I only had GSF and hybrids in my pond. Those fish are so much more aggressive they will very often be the first fish to the hook. But after catching a half dozen or so greenies and hybrids, out of the next 30 fish all but two or three were BG.

I have seen this happen many times. Just by a quick fishing survey a person might think he has a pond full of GSF. But in reality in my pond they comprise only a very small percentage and after catching the really aggressive ones then the BG get their chance.

John

I subscribe to Pond Boss Magazine