Pond Boss Forums STOCKING A NEW POND Types of fish to choose Golden Shiners or bluegills

You any relation to Rockytopper?

You are correct in thinking that the best way to have decent sized LMB would be to introduce new forage species(s). (What IS the plural is species - speci?)

GShiners often have trouble maintaining a self-supporting population in the presence of LMB, since they don't spawn as prolifically as BG and possibly because they are easier to swallow than a BG the same length. (I swear we had a real nice discussion about this 1 or 2 weeks ago, but I have been unable to find it just now.)

It would probably be possible to establish GShiners, if you could stock large enough adults. They can get as big as 10" or so (I have lots of 7" - 9" GShiners), although commercially available stockers would usually be circa 3" (?).

Maintaining a viable population of them would require 1) reducing LMB numbers to limit predation and 2) providing suitable (small-grained) structure to encourage GShiner survival and (if possible) spawning. Controlling LMB numbers should be fairly do-able in 1/2 acre, and would of course have the side benefit of giving the remaining bass more to eat. GShiner-suitable structure has not, IIRC, received a lot of discussion here, but perhaps someone has info I don't recall or some good ideas.

Adding either GShiners or BG would also help lower LMB numbers somewhat via egg predation.

You have an interesting goal that may well be attainable. It might make a good basis for an article ("Featured PB Reader") in Pond Boss magazine.