If I had it to do over, I'd wait on the cats and the bass until next year. I stocked cats with my minnows and bluegills. Then later stocked fifty 1 to 2 inch bass. I saw cats chasing fatheads around the water almost immediately and really wanted the minnows to spawn instead of being eaten. Didn't like it much. I put the tiny bass in expecting a bunch of them to not make it. I was hoping to delay having too many bass and having to clean out a bunch of them. I think not over 8 or 10 survived. All in all, my plan worked but if I had it all to do over again, I would stock forage and wait a year for predators. I'd go with 4 to 6 inch cats and bass of the same size. I think I would rather do the culling than let the tiny bass be eaten.

One reason the hatcheries push the bass fry is that they eat each other in the vats. Doesn't seem likely but they all admit it if you ask them. Funny to see a 2 inch bass with its brothers tail sticking out of its mouth.