This is the way I see my small pond (1/4 acre) developing as far as minnow base is concerned...
The first year with only FHM's stocked, as mentioned, produced thousands and thousands of minnows. IT WAS RIDICULOUS!
The second year with 40 HSB, 500 HBG, 90 RES...the minnow population dropped considerably as the fish took advantage of the overabundance.
This next season (this year) should show a further reduction in minnow population as the HSB continue to pound the adult minnows and the panfish and their offspring focus on the smaller and YOY minnows.
I expect the minnows to go extinct in the next couple of years or at least become a non-significant resource. All good things come to an end. With some luck, the panfish YOY will be the forthcoming forage for the HSB and I really expect the pellet feeding volumes to increase significantly this year and into the next.
I guess my point is that the FHM forage base is at it's most valuable level right in the beginning and it will diminish from there. Any reasonable installations of minnows after stocking of game fish with a large enough mouth gape will result in an expensive "feeding of the fish". My 4-6" HSB were pigs and they made a big dent the first year. With only a few thousand FHM's to begin with (and stocked bass)...I don't see how they can build much of a base. They would go extinct much sooner than you would like. Of course, pellet feeding would substitute for the lack of natural forage.
