George, I'm pulling for you on those 2lb CNBG!! I would love to see you posting photos of those beauties! I'm hoping for a great growing season in Texas, with plenty of rainfall...you guys certainly deserve it!
As far as the HBG hype....sure, there's some out there. I consider such hype to be the leftovers from an obsolete way of thinking, from a time when HBG were often labeled as the perfect sunfish...the answer to stunting problems in ponds everywhere. Now we know better, or at least most of us do. Unfortunately, there are still some places that advertise the fish unfairly and inaccurately. But this is not the fish's fault, as much as it is the folks selling them.
To automatically discard the fish due to inaccuracies in its description may, in some instances, be doing yourself as well as your pond, a disservice. If my new car doesn't get the 60 mpg that the salesman who sold it to me said that it would, do I blame the car?
No....I blame the person who misrepresented it to me, and I blame myself for not doing the proper research, and not shopping/talking to other dealers before I bought it.
George makes an excellent point when he says that the risk of CNBG overpopulation is of no concern if proper management is applied. I agree with him on that point. But I must also stress that the very same is true of the HBG. When are we ever going to get over this idea that one can simply dump HBG fingerlings into a BOW, and be on your way to a trophy sunfish pond without fear of any repercussions?
That idea won't work with HBG, anymore than it will with native BG.
As far as trophy Bluegills go, yes, native BG have the potential to outgrow HBG. That doesn't automatically mean that they will. Take the photos of those three pound Bluegills we all love to admire....they seem to come from one or two places. How many guys on here have three pound bluegills swimming in their pond? Shoot, how many can reliably and consistently catch two pound bluegills in their own BOW?? Where are all the photos of those fish? That's often touted as a reason to choose BG over HBG...BG will get larger.
How many will get larger? Let's be honest,what percentage of an average CNBG population will hit two pounds? I haven't raised a two pound HBG yet, but I've got fish that I think are capable of getting there.
I'm not trying to argue, or say that the OP should stock HBG. I'm actually in agreement with what's been said here.....It's all relative.
