Well......consider these two things.
1) fish hatcheries want to sell fish. Not always in your best interest. They are good people, but it is their job. The folks here have no investment/gain in your pond. They are giving you advice from past experiences.
2) At this same above hatchery, the first visit I made there, I was asking about different things. The guy went over to the LMB tank and pulled out a small one, about 1.5 long". He brought it over to the FHM tank and dropped it in where the FHM were about the same size as the LMB. The LMB instantly grabbed one and swallowed it down half way. It proceded to swim around the tank with that hanging out of his mouth for awhile till it was gone. That was a sight I will always remember as far as how agressive the LMB will be.
So, if you put in LMB 2-4", my guess is they will wipe out your FHM in no time. Granted the FHM will get wiped out eventually, but you want so many FHM in your pond that they will survive at least a summer. A statistic that is used often here is that it takes 10# of FHM for a single LMB to gain one pound. How many FHM do you want to buy to grow your LMB?... 1# now will become mega pounds quickly without competition. Why buy mega pounds? Patience is a virtue.
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We won't be adding any larger predator fish (if at all) until we start seeing some 10-12" LMB.
LMB are predators, so when you see them 10-12" you got them.....
Edit; So, if you put in LMB 2-4", my guess is they will wipe out your FHM in no time. ...If you stock the FHM with them in the initial stocking.
