hh,
I can help with a couple of those...
I originally bought and caged 20 6" HSB in the fall about 4 years ago. 2 died in the 4 months in the cage but that was within the first week.
I have daily feedings of AM600 for the BG and HSB. The HSB grew to about 4 lbs in the first 2-3 years but have not gained much weight since because (IMO) battling for Aquamax 600 with the BG does not provide enough food for them to continue to grow. I visit the pond no more than weekly and throw some AM LMB food which the HSB gobble up with much gusto. I think they'd continue their growth if I could feed them the LMB food daily but I haven't pulled the trigger on a feeder to do that. There are others on this pond site that have grown them to double digits.
I can't say the've become hook shy because I find them difficult to catch on lures. I think they are wary of heavy line and things that don't look natural. I can hook them regulary on my ultralight rod I use for BG baited with crickets but, of course, cannot land them. Most recently, I've had a couple of people put a softened AM LMB pellet on a hook and toss it out. As stated, I try not to fish for them when the water is warm which is May through September here in the deep south.
Their best quality is their voracity whether it's feeding or fighting. They attack food like it's their last meal and fight harder than any freshwater fish I've every caught. I plan to start catching and cull some of the bigger ones and replace with 8-10" stockers this fall. I've never eaten one so I can't speak to that directly; perhaps I can answer that by December
Good luck,
Dan
