Time has come for me to establish SMB in my main pond. I'm considering a road trip to Hartley's in in Kingman KS for them. Here's the rundown:

Non feed trained SMB

2-3" = $2/ea
4-6" = $4/ea
6-9" = $8/ea

Goal: Establish SMB population
Pond: 3.5 acres, 2:1 slope, No Aeration, Abundant forage [GSH, FHM, PK Shrimp], 400 8-12" YP, 400 4-8" CSBG, 800 4-8" RES, 70 HSB 10-14"
Questions:
1. Is stocking non feed trained fish a big negative?
2. How does pricing above look? My research indicates it's reasonable.
3. Based on existing fish populations and other factors can you provide some guidance on Size and QTY of Fish to stock [or combination thereof?]

I have a 100G tank, keep alive diffusers and O2 tank and am ready to roll. I'd love to get away with stocking the smaller fish, but don't know if I should be concerned with predation from YP and HSB - hoping gape of YP and HSB are too small?

My orignal plan was to stock 200 2-3", 50-100 4-6", and bring back 6 9"er's for my repro pond.

Thanks in advance all.


Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after. ~ Henry David Thoreau

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