Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Evaluating and adjusting fish populations stunted sunfish

GW,

I don't know for sure but it just seems logical that if you do indeed remove every one you catch, then conditioning should be minimized. It certainly works that way on LMB for me. The problem , as I see it, with that approach in a small pond predator situation is being disciplined about removing every one caught, without exception, and also being disciplined about replacing them in a timely manner. I really like the GG's for their growth and aggressiveness, but it is very critical that you keep sufficient predators on them. IMO, the LMB is a superior predator in that situation. HSB have a small mouth, prefer pellet food, and since the GG offspring grow very quickly, they can get ahead of the HSB. I'm seeing evidence of that very thing happening in my small GG pond. Another reason I'm switching over to LMB as the predator on a catch and remove approach in that pond.

It's certainly appealing to be able to have a sterile predator, but all things considered, I'll take the fertile LMB every time for East Texas ponds...only exception is the grill where the HSB has few equals in warm water fish.

By the way, I think I was possibly the first on here to report HSB high temp angling intolerance in Texas ponds...a report which generated great derision from some. My findings, then and now, are consistently high angling mortality (100 % for me) in HSB over 3 pounds caught in water temps above 82 degrees regardless of tackle used. If you practice catch and remove, then the water temp problem in East Texas won't come into play. I have seen this mortality only (but sadly always)on fish over three pounds and have seen evidence of non-angling high temp mortality the past two summers.

I wish it were not so, but then I also wish I could have SMB and rainbow trout year around in my East Texas ponds, but wishing doesn't make it happen.