Mike, the "normal' recommendation is for 1,000 BG/RES per acre stocked well in advance (6 months to one year) of predators. LMB convert forage at a 1 to 10 ratio. The bass have to eat 10 pounds of BG to gain one pound. That's an awful lot of 1 to 3 inch BG. With your vegetation, the bass will have to hustle a lot harder to get anything to eat.

The only thing I see in the recommendations that make sense is the one for HBG only pond.

On the Channel Cat recommendation, what does he figure they will eat? Water bugs, I guess.

I would stock the 1,000 BG and Res at the prescribed 80/20 rate. Then, I would later come back with about 50 LMB. The LMB will, along with their BG cousins (they are both sunfish) spawn and continue to spawn. You can manage for the sizes that you want of each.

The best bet on managing LMB is to take out every one that you can catch that's under 13 inches after 2 years. Don't worry. You can't catch enough to make a dent in their population. You can vary this in your future managing contingent on the results you get and your evolving goals.

The HBG, unless they are your goal, cannot be considered a desirable fish in a balanced pond. They take a lot and don't give much.

It is my PERSONAL opinion that the fish salesman is all wet. I can only consider him a salesman, certainly not a Biologist. BTW, I'm also not a Biologist; just a pond junkie.

It's not about the fish. It's about the pond. Take care of the pond and the fish will be fine. PB subscriber since before it was in color.

Without a sense of urgency, Nothing ever gets done.

Boy, if I say "sic em", you'd better look for something to bite. Sam Shelley Rancher and Farmer Muleshoe Texas 1892-1985 RIP