I did the normal stocking of 1" to 2" CNBG and RES last September, when the pond was less than 1/3 full. With feeding, they were 2" to 3" by December. In December, I stocked about 20- 6" to 8" adult BG and about 10- 4" to 5" BG. When I observed them nesting this spring, 10 or so large males dominated the nests I saw and were breeding with both large females I stocked along with them, and also with the CNBG females from the initial stocking, which were about 3.5" by late April. I only saw a couple 4" male BG on nests. I am hoping to get native BG genetics into the offspring in case we get a bad winter. CNBG are the only ones offered for sale around here. I caught the bigger stockers from a friend's local pond and transferred them a few at a time. His original BG stock was northern strain.
Hopefully, my big males kept some of the smaller CNBG males from nesting.
