Does anybody have good redear sunfish numbers and big ones (10"-12") in pond water that has 12" - 15" visibilities?
I think the effectiveness of CC to control fatheads will be dependent of density of CC and if CC are fed pellets. The more you feed cats pellets the fewer fatheads they will eat. So you do have a little control of this aspect. It might not take as many CC to control fatheads as Bruce and I think. Someone needs to try this and see what happens. WRW? I think the CC could control fatheads but then the desity of CC required to do this would make the pond too muddy for the RES to effectively eat their preferred food items. RES are sight feeders. I am not sure that RES will be very successful in a turbid pond. Sediment turbidity as it increases will also increasingly suppress the phytoplankton the basis of the food chain thus lowering overall natural productivity of the pond.
WRW might try this combination and if it doesn't work and fatheads get too abundant add either some hybrid striped bass or bass of a single sex, just males or females. This way you have control of how may extra predators are present. Thoughts Bruce?
