Nothing wrong with a certain hard-headedness determination. I think we all want to see you achieve your goals and enjoy what you've accomplished in as short a timeframe as possible, but the LMB/BG issue is as you know counterproductive to those goals. I feel the concern expressed here is that your pond will suffer the same fate over and over again, and we would hate to see you endure the same outcome multiple times.
If your timeframe allows and you are comfortable with the progress, then maybe you can make some headway on the upstream issues and fish the pond heavily to get a feel for what you have. The trouble is, and I realize you are aware of this, it doesn't take a entire population of BG/LMB to upset your plans....it takes very few fish. It's going to be very tough, near impossible even, to eradicate them all. Certainly keeping them out will be another major issue. Speaking for myself, I would hate to see you put extensive time and effort into the project only to never have it realize it's full potential.
I do appreciate the desire to see one's goals through to fruition, and I'm eager to see what you come up with for the upstream dilemma, as well as what you find in your pond this fall. Very interesting thread, and I hope you continue to share your progress with us. Quite informative.
