Gents, thanks for the feedback. I noticed on the drive to the farm this weekend that the fishermen are out in droves... makes me want to turn in my resignation tomorrow and move to our farm - if only I could!
So the fishery guy came back with similar (actually, identical) comments. FHM will be devoured quickly because they are slow and there's an existing community of >6" BG and LMB that will take them out in very short order. FHM are most effective, and arguably ONLY effective, when starting the food chain from scratch. The pond also needs more cover (which I intend to add before we stock) for small bait to survive. He emphasized that I do NOT have a new pond and I already have a "great natural food chain" that has developed over time. That comment really caught be by surprise. After draining the bulk of the water from the pond, I assumed that any natural food chain that had developed would be decimated. Instead, we will be doing supplemental stocking to add volume and variety (i.e., Tilapia) to take some pressure off of the current forage base (CNBG and RES) and support a higher number of predators (CNBG, RES and LMB) - exactly as Bill described. The Tilapia will also help keep the algae under control.
I also asked him what changes he would make if I opt not to use a pellet feeder. He suggested adding 15 lbs of GSH to see if they can sustain their population. If so, they would provide added forage. Without pellets, he also suggested reducing the predator population (50 LMB instead of 100) and nix the HSB. He agreed that I should stage the CC 50 this year, 50 next year. He said he recommended the pellet feeder because it allows me to stock more pounds per acre - again, exactly what Bill said in his last post.
So, this coming weekend, I will add cover (if we don't get rained out). And, I'll go with the pellet-free stocking plan for now. I will install a pellet feeder after I retire and we are harvesting the CC and BG on a regular basis. And, one other thing... apparently, I don't need to add the lime and gypsum
before stocking as I assumed. While these will improve the water quality and health of the fish, the pond is fine for stocking right now.
To be honest, I'm surprised at how consistent the advice has been from all parties. So, thanks for giving this a look over. I'm a lot more confident in our stocking plan and it's been a great learning experience.
Happy fishing!!
