An update from T.Gallus and his SMB pond follows: Smallies have reproduced every year they could. The earliest natives are hitting 9" - 10" and I am transferring most of them to the other pond as they are caught. The stockers have reached 15"+, would probably be doing better except that ...
The YP have stubbornly refused to spawn (even though many are 11" - 12" and eating pellets well); I'm trying adding aglime and electric aeration into the mix this year, and there seems to be less extensive FA than I have had prior Springs - maybe that will help. I have seen gravid females this year and last year. Suggestions welcome.
Best serendipity is that it has become a major BGxRES hybrid producer. They take pellets aggressively and last year they were my major eating sunfish. I have also transferred a few hundred of them (as fingerlings 3" - 6") to my older pond each of the last three years, and the ones that survived LMB predation are eating pellets and reaching eating size there this year.
