Bigmac,
Excellent question, especially for the Southern climes such as we have. A related question I'd like to answer is how large can we reasonably expect HSB to get in small ponds in Texas?
The State record for private waters is sorry...just over 5 pounds on rod and reel. The fly fishing category is open...a record waiting to be established. Is this record indicative of the max size for HSB in our Texas small ponds or has it just not been tested? My goodness, the much maligned record hybrid BG, named Bubba, is over 5 pounds.
My own experiece is limited to four years with HSB. The initial stockers now number only 3 or 4 fish, in my estimation. Their size is comparable to the State record for rod and reel, again in my estimation. I'm hopeful that they can survive the remainder of the summer, go through the Tilapia die-off feast and also feed on some Rainbows this winter...next spring check the record for HSB in private waters...if someone hasn't filed a new record by then, I will file one for fly fishing and hope it will also beat the current rod and reel record.
