They (WE) can be considered pricey, I suppose - compared to CC. I just yesterday bought 50 WE for $3.00 each which is my 2nd year of my ladder stock program. I keep the WE in a separate pond from LMB so no issue with predation. Nearly everything in the WE/SMB pond are pisciform small gapped fish - WE, CC, YP, SMB, HBG and RBT. Man that was a tough combo choice. IMHO a few hundred dollars a year to keep me in WE for the years to come is no big deal. My local restaurant charges $23 for one 1/2 a small, small, small WE fillet. So far all is going quite well, stock is healthy and I do not and never have used leaders. I DO use hemostats to remove hooks and lures. My pond WE seem to fight every bit as good or better than the WE in Lake Erie which is where I am very near here in NE Ohio. BTW, for comparison SMB just cost me $4.00 to $6.00 each which is a good bit more money than WE. These are delivered prices which I think are fair for quality stock. I've never heard anyone getting bit in these parts by anything by certain breeds of gills.

NE Ohio, 2 ponds @ 1.3 @ 16' & .5 ac.@ 6'. Aeration x 6 bottom diffusors, 2 HVLP fountains, Honey Hole habitat x 35 pcs, FHM, SMB, WE, RBT, YP, BG, HBG, CC (in newer WE/SMB pond only) 2nd 1/2 ac pond LMB, CC, RSF, SMB, BCP, CBG, HBG, FHM.