Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Evaluating and adjusting fish populations Moving away from SMB/YP pond only

I am no expert, but one interesting observation is that if your YP are not reproducing and your FHM are all gone, I would suspect that now your SMB are "the forage base" for the YP. The YP are probably eating all the SMB young and this would also explain why you don't see much SMB recruitment (besides the SMB eating their own young as well). I think BG would give some forage, but as mentioned by most, SMB are not enough to control them stunting (versus LMB). If you have a bunch of weedbeds, I would try some Gambusia (mosquito fish) for forage as well for the YP.

Thanks all for the interesting and varied advise. As stated in the title of this thread, I am planning on adding some sunfish as well as trying to re-introduce some golden shiners. I just thought I would bring people up to speed as to what has happened since I started this experiment about 7 years ago.

I know the SMB may not be enough to alone stop the sunfish from stunting. However with the very large YP as well as the herons I think that I may be able to keep things under control.

Eric, Plus your pond is small <0.2 acre which makes a lot easier for several reasons to thin numbers of panfish or predator.

Bill, That is very true. I believe that the Eagles in the back have helped with that process already. I have a Golden Eagle and two Balds in the back that sit on my sons play house that overlooks the pond. I am sure they and the Herons have visited the pond more than a few times.

Eric,

If it was me I wouldn't pull any fish out the Great lakes. Possible VHS, zebra mussel veligers you don't even see, and other possibilities. It would terrify me! And correct me if I'm wrong but it may be illegal to move fish out of the Great lakes now due the VHS threat!