F-H,
Another option is to keep a high density of smallmouth to control the small bluegills. I have a very high density of smallmouth I'm growing out for BPS' and they are hammering the small bluegill in the pond. That along with lot of large yellow perch I'm hoping they will keep them under control. However mine are pellet trained and if they overeat the forage hopefully they will fall back on pellets.
Don't assume your smallies aren't pellet trained. If given a choice they will munch on fatheads vs. pellets until the easy prey is gone.
Sorry if you're already mentioned it, and I didn't catch it, but where did your smallmouth come from -- Hicklings in New York? If so, they are pellet trained. If your supplier doesn't raise them directly they may have still come from Hicklings as he produces a lot of smallmouth bass.
Last edited by Cecil Baird1; 10/04/10 07:07 PM.
