I have a 10 acre lake that filled in March 2015. Stocked 7000 CNBG, 14,000 FHM, and 700 CC in April 2015. All stockers were 1" - 3" long. Added 700 LMB in June 2015. Now, May 2016, we are catching 10" - 18" CC, 4" - 6" CNBG, and 8" - 12" LMB. I'm a bit dissapointed in the growth rate of the LMB, but fine with the CC and CNBG. I feed about 50 lbs/wk of floating catfish pellets.

Water is 18' at the deepest point, with 4 acres that ranges from 2' - 6' deep. The shallow portion has lots of stumps, and brush. The deep end also has 150 or so tree stumps and root balls that were dug up with a track how and arranged in rows. The root balls/stumps are in 6' - 12' of water and are 4' - 6' across the root balls. They are laying on their side to maximize the cover benefit.

The old creek channel runs the length of the lake (about 400 yards) and ranges from 4' - 8' in depth. It is full of logs and brush tops.

There is also a pit like hole 40' x 150' in the deep end that I put several big cedar trees in. The depth of this pit ranges from 8' - 15'.

I don't think I can fertilize because of the amount of water coming into and out of the lake. It all goes downstream too fast. My siphon pipe runs all the time, and the water has been 2' deep over my 40' wide emergency spillway 5 times since the lake filled up in March 2015.

My question is, am I on target? I would like to see CC and LMB in the 5 to 10 lb range. Don't really care about the CNBG except as food supply. Of course the kids have fun catching them.

Also, I saw hundreds and hundreds of CNBG spawning beds last summer. Do you think the LMB might also have spawned last year? We have caught several CC that were full of eggs this spring.

I'd say you are on target although it is difficult to truly assess things based on a single year. Growth rates seem pretty good.

Have you witnessed any spawns of CNBG or FHM? Those forage fish getting established would be an indicator of a replenishing forage base, which I'd suffice to say should be the goal right now because it will ultimately get you where you want to be.

As I said in my first post, I saw hundreds, and hundreds of CNBG spawning beds last summer. I haven't really looked this year. I also might mention that I put a few hundred pieces of cut up PVC pipe in shallow water for the FHM to spawn in, but I don't know how to tell if they have used them.

Are you 100% positive that the spawning beds were CNBG? I was under the impression that both BG and CNBG had to be bigger than 4"-5" to successfully spawn. How big were your 1"-3" CNBG that you saw on the spawning beds last summer?

Are you on track? I'm not sure. The more forage that a LMB has to eat with less swimming, the faster they will grow.

You stocked 1,000 CNBG and approx. 4# of fatheads per acre.

Greg Grimes stocks triple that amount and gets 2#-3# of growth the first year. I stocked triple the amount of BG as you did per acre in a pond (with a goodly amount being in the 4"-6" range), and stocked 45# of FHM and 45# of GSH per acre, and waited a whole year before I stocked LMB. I will let you know in a year what the growth rate is on them.

If the CNBG are eating the pellets, and some of the LMB are eating some of the pellets, you will see a better growth rate of the feed trained fish if you feed a food that is tailored to growing BG/LMB than the catfish food. If they aren't eating the pellets and the CC are the only ones eating, then it doesn't matter.

Once the CC reach 3# each, they will start competing directly with the LMB for food, and that will slow down the growth rate of the LMB in the pond.

Scott, I haven't measured any spawning BG but have always heard that BG in the South can spawn @ 3.5 inches. I expect they were BG beds. Without bass, they can get out of hand in a hurry. I've had numerous kills in my forage pond when I didn't pay attention. I'll be seining in about 10 days and tossing BG and GSF in the creek.

I was wondering if he should have waited longer to get a good spawn or three from the FHM and CNBG before adding the predators?

The spawn I saw last summer was definitely CNBG. They were 4" - 5" by the end of the summer. As for the floating pellets, the CNBG hit them hard until the CC show up, then they leave.

Thanks Dave. The only sunfish spawning that size up here (or even smaller) that I've observed is GSF.

I haven't seen any of that around here. But, I have a local feed store that might order me some if they can get it. Do you have a link or something that will show me exactly what to ask for?

Any Purina deal can order you some Aquamax
http://www.purinamills.com/game-feed/products/?specie=Fish%20&%20Aquatics