doc,
What is great about HSB is that you can grow them faster than any other fish in a cage! I dont know how much growth you can expect during the winter, but I would not be opposed to you trying to at least hold some over the winter in a cage to get a good jumpstart on next year as an experiment. You will never know until you try.
Here is a bit more info to consider: HSB may be a bit more active during the winter than LMB, but they do not haul very well in cold water. They fungus up and die. Also another thing to consider is if you havent successfully established HSB in the pond, it may not all be due to loss from predation. HSB for some reason or another just dont take to all bodies of water. Putting them in a cage is a great way to see how they transition to your pond.
