Verde - I would have suggested you omit the BG until you saw a real need for the extra forage fish. IMO RES would have been more than enough sunfish for the SMB to control. If I wanted BG in a SMB pond I would stock only male BG thus you get big BG and not youngsters. With BG in a 1.5 ac pond I think you will have to help the SMB control the smaller BG (2"-5") with a regular summer trapping and a beach seining program that should be able to remove 600-1000 annually. Your 1.5 ac pond will need at last 600 small BG removed each year and 1000 removed might not be enough. IMO 4 10"+ LMB would remove 1000 small BG per year.
As noted by TJ SMB IMO will target the softer rayed fish compared to eating BG as a second or third choice food. First try the SMB as predators and when you see the BG getting overly abundant stock some more SMB (if not recruiting) and try the single sex LMB as suggested by TJ. first to see how that pans out. Then if you still have problems with BG add other sex of LMB. Then resign yourself as time goes buy to accept a well managed BG-LMB pond. Biggest problem with most is locating single sex LMB in any quantity.
It will be very educational if Verde came back to the PB Forum and up dated us on the status of his fishery.
Last edited by Bill Cody; 10/01/24 01:18 PM. Reason: Added wording.
