Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Small LMB fingerlings value?

Re-habilitating A 3-acre pond. Goal balanced BG/LMB. A fair amount of LMB removed considering the ponds low productivity in its present state with very little LMB less than 10". This spring many more MF & 1-3" BG are seen.

I thought it might be a good time to add small fish to the pond to improve genetics & fill in some missing fish. I understand the predation problem.

LMB was on the list. More LMB fry were seen this year in the pond, as opposed to past years. 3" fingerlings were advertised but they only have fish that are just over an inch for the same price because of cold weather. I know that most of the 3" will be fish food. I would like larger. You get what they got.

The 1" runts appear to be no value at all. I should pass.

Other opinions?

We go through the same analysis every year, buy 3000 Florida fingerlings or try to find larger fish. I have heard from others that maybe 10% of the fingerlings make it. That's 300 fish. We have a connection to a private managed lake that culls fish every year. We can buy Florida genetics LMB from 12" to 18" at $10 a pound. The money actually goes to the Texas Parks and Wildlife hatchery program as the owner is a board member. The only way to get pure genetics here is the fingerlings. Any culled fish, even from a highly managed lake are likely F1+. Since you are in Florida, anything you get is likely pure Florida genetics. You could contact some of the pond management companies and see if they are culling fish through electro survey.

RUMOR

Talking with the fish truck driver, LMB fingerlings are in short supply in the southeast. Fish farms generally cooperate & help each other but everyone is hurting. The weather has lead to a poor spawn & slow growth. They were holding what they had to grow out & sell in aug-sept? He had one LMB fingerling in a mason jar for demonstration. I have MF bigger than that fish.