GW,
you're not crazy at all, in fact you might be brillant! Could someone please draw up a food pyramid with LMB on top and how many lbs of phytoplanton or whatever it takes for the lower tier of the foundation. Then let's create a new feed pyramid with RES as the top predator, no LMB. I bet the pond to plate harvest could quadruple!

Now, I have a dry hole, 110'x 60'x 8' just north of you across the line in 'Bama. The pond was dug 18 months ago, start of the drought, now it's raining; can't wait to see if it'll hold water come this April. (I live in Bakersfield, CA) GW, I gotta copy your plan, advise advise please.

To alvieate my frustration, got me a 150 gal fish tank, and stocked it with large Columbian snails, GAMs, FH rosies, ghost shrimp, crawdads, and a male RES. He's about 10.5 in. at 18 months. He also enjoys king size mealworms,(and their larva; not superworms)and crickets during the summertime. He hits birthing GAMs when they slow down from their stress, hard tearing a chunk out, then exams 'em before gulping. Strangely, he takes the biggest 3"+ bull (most dominant) rosies in the dark after I turn the light off. You can hear him breaching. He looks pretty glutanous with half a rosie sticking out for an hour or 2. If I clip a 1" rosy's tail back 1/16th", he'll pick it out and take it hole. He has interesting feeding habits and I can't figure much of it.

GW, I've heard that GAMs will feed on RES eggs and new larva. Also, if you have a wide 10'+ clay core and clay sub-layer in your pond, consider crawdads as a forage food. I may be right behind you if my pond holds water, cross your fingers!

Self-educated rednecks, the real intelligentsia.