Larger numbers of smaller (10-15") WAE will do a good job on small BG. For WAE to work with BG you'll have to pull walleye 15+ and replace with 8-10" fish regularly or the BG will get out of hand.
LMB may be required for control but the problem I see there is a 3lb bass can eat an 8-10" WAE pretty easily.
I can see this could be a potential razor edge balance act.
I didn't know this about Walleye, that is, that they can adequately control BG if in large numbers and smaller sizes. But it makes sense as it is probably true of most predators in combination with BG.
BG are without a doubt the strongest of all lepomis in terms of resisting predation through reproduction. Because of this they really do need the stronger predators. In general, fewer and larger sizes of any predator tends to lead to overabundance of prey fish and less abundance of harvestable sized prey fish. I like the idea of walleye for a predator but think that it will be doomed to fail on the panfish side or be very costly to maintain if it is combined with a reproducing population of BG.
A weaker predator is best paired with weaker prey and combinations of predators and prey that are on the weak side have turned out to be some very good fisheries based on my analysis of the anecdotes available here in the ponds that members of the forum own and enjoy. There are many examples and many clever management strategies. So in particular I think of Theo, Roundy, and others who have used RES as the backbone of their predator food chain. A combination of predator and prey, both of which have reduced reproductive potential appears, at least anecdotally, a manageable scenario that is relatively more stable and resistant to rapid and large variations in predator/prey balance.
IMHO, BG should always be avoided as a reproducing prey fish in any pond where a weaker predator is desired. I also think, for best success, one should not combine different species of predators in a pond or be careful in doing so where additional predators do not reproduce and are intended as a bonus fish and/or a predator that focuses on under-utilized prey. One of the more brilliant ways BG have been used in one of these fisheries is how Theo used them. He carefully stocked only adult males. Aside from the benefit of having some really good fast growing BG in the early going ... he continues to enjoy their legacy. Thanks to the promiscuity of his RES girls, there have been numerous hybrids whose hybrid vigor and Theo's selection has propelled them to prominence in his fishery.
I think the lesson to be learned from all this is to use BG as a bonus fish (comprised only as males) in ponds where alternatives to LMB are desired. If one is insistent on having a reproducing population of BG paired with an alternative predator. He should let an alternative lepomis like RES establish itself well before introducing BG in order skew numbers and balance in favor of the weaker lepomis.
