Originally Posted By: BobbyRice
Spark,
You have Pure and Hybrid together? do you ever see evidence of back crosses or are you managing the offspring so well you rarely even see any?


There are a few male, northern strain in the HBG pond also. I haven't noticed any instances of back crossing, but then again I have yet to catch a hybrid that I didn't stock.

At certain times I will see fry and minnows in the shallows, so reproduction is most certainly taking place. And there are surely individuals (F2's) that have managed to grow to a size that allows them to escape predation, but I believe their numbers are extremely low.

This pond is predator heavy (LMB), and that, coupled with an aggressive program of plant management, appears to dramatically reduce recruitment. I have never seen those misshapen and/or stunted F2's or F3's that are often touted as the eventual result of having HBG in your pond. I'm only in year five of this experiment however, so perhaps they are planning a surprise appearance in the near future. But I think it's doubtful.

"Forget pounds and ounces, I'm figuring displacement!"

If we accept that: MBG(+)FGSF(=)HBG(F1)
And we surmise that: BG(>)HBG(F1) while GSF(<)HBG(F1)
Would it hold true that: HBG(F1)(+)AM500(x)q.d.(=)1.5lbGRWT?
PB answer: It depends.