QA,
I hope that you enjoy eating those crawfish, they look amazing. Love the blue claws on them. I remember you collected them locally, are they Northern crayfish, Orconectes virilis?
I haven't eaten any yet...I do like to, but it's going to take a friend's influence to dedicate the time to prepare them...I'm no cook! The last culling went to a friend pond as a returned favor.
I have ID'd them as the northern virile (Orconectes virilis)to the best of my ability.
I like your plan.
As for the HBG is there a chance you might be able to source in the 4 to 5 in length? One approach could be cycle approach in combination with the HSB. You have already started the HSB on a cycle where you are now harvesting a few each year. In the next to the last year of the cycle stock your next cycle of HBG and HSB at the same time in sizes 5" or larger. This would have the benefit of having fewer large HSB at the time of re-stocking.
If you hand feed and are not eating your Fx culls, maybe you can dice them up and feed the HSB and HBG some fish along with the feed. The crayfish should clean up anything leftover!
I have not actually set a firm plan for continuing the fish populations in my pond. I will be ladder stocking the HSB probably, but at this point I'm not seeing too many panfish recruits, the HSB seem to be keeping up with that well, and if the crawdads are reducing successful spawns like shorty pointed out (I had not thought of that and my pond is definatley "less vegetated" proabably due tot the craws), then all is well at this point. I have not eaten any fish from the pond at this point...I plan to when the HBG start getting to the pound mark. My fish supplier said he would have 8-10" HSB this fall and I will likely a add couple pounds worth and then start eating them next year. Although, they have proven to be hard to catch...I may just have to fish for them more...that would be a good thing!
I have thought about dicing up the culled panfish and feeding back to the pond, but have not done so yet. The HSB rarely show themselves at feeding time, the time to dice and toss is hard to dedicate (a hand cranked culled fish processor would be cool), and I worry about my water quality and don't want to risk it (I'm mostly lazy and my neighbors pond can use the help). You are absolutely right though about the craws cleaning them up...I was fishing on the bottom with corn last weekend just in case there was carp in the pond (at least one hitchhiked in with the FHM's) AND the crawdads kept me very busy...one every 5 to 10 minutes.
