Pond Boss Forums STOCKING A NEW POND Types of fish to choose HSB Questions

HBG have a large mouth gape for their length compared to RES. They will eat a lot of smaller fish, almost like having 6"-8" LMB in the pond.

Here's what I saw on a clients property.

2 ponds. Approximately 1 ac each. Both stocked with FHM, GSH, RES and YP at the same stocking rate in the Spring. 2 years later a population survey was done.

Ponds were purposely stocked light, approximately 40%-50% of recommended stocking rate.

Pond #1 with FHM, GHS, RES and YP showed good populations of fish of all age classes.

Pond #2 showed a very small population of FHM and no GHS other than the orig. stockers. Only a handful of YOY and 1 year old RES were observed, and even less YP YOY (other than the origional stockers).

The difference?

Pond #2 had GSF in it, unknown to the pond owner at the time of stocking the other fish. No GSF were observed that were larger than 6" in length, but it seems that there were enough of them in the pond to eat any YOY that were hatched.

Both ponds had the same amount of cover for YOY fish to hide in.

The following year after the population survey was completed, SMB were stocked in the first pond, and pond #2 was drained and rotenoned to ensure removal of the GSF.

HBG have the mouth gape comparable to GSF, and while pellet feeding will help control their appetite for YOY fish, I feel that HBG in this instance would be another predator in the pond. They WILL spawn too, although not as much as GSF or BG.

I think adding HBG to this pond will all depend on how much "catch and remove" will be done on the HBG. They are readily available and could always be added later if the pond owner feels that they would like to catch more "sunfish" and RES are too difficult to catch.