Todd, I don't doubt that the Penn State guys know their stuff but I don't really understand the concept. It seems like putting cows in a pasture and planting grass later.
Bass the size you stocked are too big to eat bugs. They would expend too much energy for the calories they receive. Of course they will eat their own spawn. But if they don't eat enough of them you should be over run by bass. My friends 1 acre pond is thick with small bass. I take a small jig and sometimes catch 25 to 30 in an hour or so. They all go over my back. I have tossed out hundreds in a one year old pond. I don't understand why the bass won't spawn successfully when stocked with bluegills unless the gills get out of control and rob the bass nests.
Sounds like you have an interesting project. Are you going to fish for the initially stocked bass to monitor their growth, health, and relative weight? It would be enlightening to monitor tbe bass caught by clipping fins or tagging and do an analysis of before and after bluegills or other forage is stocked.
