Well for me. the biggest risk is too much BG offspring growth before the LMB are introduced. They would compete with LMB for minnows and may outgrow their gape. For that reason, I would probably delay the introduction of BG until September if I were stocking under the plan Snipe suggested.

As for 2" - 3" LMB being at risk with BG, I think this is possible but I also think the mortality will be very low if lots are minnows are available at the time of the LMB stocking and particularly if the numbers of BG are low. This being because encounters will be lower and because the LMB should be more difficult to capture than FHM.

It is better to have the LMB growing on FHM when the BG YOY start coming on line anyway. So there is no need to have BG in the BOW when the LMB are introduced as long as you stock brooder sized BG when the LMB need their offspring. For example, the timeline could go like this ...


April, Fertilize and Stock FHM

May, Find a place nearby by with gambusia add as many as you can being careful to select only Gams. They will reproduce prolifically when temps are high and FHM are slowing down producing as many as 4 reproducing generations of offspring in the same season. Only a few pounds could produce thousands of pounds of forage in the relatively predator free environment.

Early Jun, stock LMB fingerlings.

Mid July, add 15/lbs per acre of Todd's beautiful CNBG in >6" sizes or Snipe's recof 175/ac for 3"-6" CNBG. They will begin producing YOY as the minnows numbers are falling and could produce two broods. By the following late spring these CNBG will be at the biomass appropriate for a BG nursery/forage pond.

This timeline requires stocking at different times and maybe more than one transport fee. You may be able to pick up the FHM and LMB on independent trips and then have the CNBG transported. The LMB fingerlings would not be exposed to CNBG when they were vulnerable in this scenario.

The costs-

30 ac* 15lb * $15/lb = $6750 BG
OR
30 ac * 175* $0.80 = $4200 BG

30 ac *50 * $2 = $3000 BH

30 * 5* 13 = $1950 FHM

Depending which BG scenario, the cost ranges from $9150 to $11700. If $15000 is the budget and you want to spend it then I would lean towards more FHM and perhaps conserving funds for fertilization next year.

Last edited by jpsdad; 04/17/20 11:14 AM.
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