RES (redear sunfish) prevent parasites in your other fish. FHM (fathead minnows) are used for that very purpose. They help jump start your predator fish.
In a pond that is literally FULL of bluntnose minnows, golden shiners, grass shrimp, and crayfish. do you think that the fatheads are a necessity to jumpstart anything? Not trying to be a know it all, because I certainly don't, just trying to learn what I can.
Also, I haven't ruled out redear sunfish. The main concern that I have with them is A) will they find enough food to eat in a new pond that hasn't had time to develop a population of snails? and B) will they interbreed with the coppernose bluegill and make any kind of undesirable hybrid?
I had planned on introducing the bluntnose minnows, golden shiners, lake chub suckers, grass shrimp, and crayfish a full year before I put any kind of predator fish into the pond. So, if all goes well the pond should literally be boiling with forage by the time the first bass touches the water.
I planned on adding the coppernose bluegill, redear sunfish, and threadfin shad in the fall of the second year, and putting the florida largemouth in that following spring.
Following advice I got here I would wait until there were a lot of 18+ inch bass before stocking the gizzard shad.
I truly want a high quality bass fishery. I don't need 20 pounders, but it would be nice to have 10 pounders be a fairly common occurrence, five pounders being a daily phenomenon, and the occasional behemoth pulled from the water.
I don't mind culling large numbers of bass from the pond every year. I have more than enough friends that enjoy a fish fry. I just want to build a sustainable food chain that will feed all of the bass from the smallest of the small to the biggest of the big as long as I keep the bass population in check.
