I am in my second season with my 1/4 acre HSB/HBG/RES pond and am having a good time with it. The HBG have been spawning and I do NOT expect the HSB to at all. It's hard to tell how much recruitment the HBG have produced, but I would venture a guess and say minimal. Occasional trapping produces some of last year's recruits and a fair amount of this year's. Last years recruits are typically too big for my HSB to feed on so I remove them and return this year's smaller fish.
My HSB went in 4-6" long and are now at the 2 pound mark (a summer and a half of growth), while the HBG were 3-5" long and hover around 1/2 pound. I supplemental feed with few coming to the dinner bell, BUT the big gain in weights is believed to have come from FHM's. I put in the FHM's and gave them a full year before stocking the gamefish. I am a believer in this approach!
