Steve,
With regard to BG, I don't think I would use them as forage with BC and HSB. I think if you do, you will find it difficult to grow the BG to harvestable size with these predators. IMHO, the GSH would be great forage for HSB and possibly better than you may presently think for the blues.
I'm not necessarily looking to achieve harvestable size BG. Whatever forage I decide to go with, I want to be the best size to feed the BC and HSB. I would need a pretty big BC to handle a 6-8" BG. GSH are still on my radar, I'm just looking for data on how well the BC could utilize them. Crappie loves shiners, too.
One advantage of BCP is that they should probably be less prone to stunting than BG. I think the key is to add BCP after your predators are well established. Given your predators may not reproduce (well for sure the HSB wont), you need to have a handle on laddering them to so that you are not without predation. I think most ponds with dink crappie (less than 6") got that way due to fish kills that took the predators or in some cases may have been stocked alone (eg by bucket). They cannot attain standing weights anywhere close to what BG can and a typical standing weight is probably less than 100 lbs/acre. They way I see BCP is that they are a panfish. They are no problem to clean and eat at >7" and it only takes a modest amount of predation to get them to that size by the end of a crappie's second summer. In a 1/2 acre pond, a max standing weight of > 7" crappie can be easily managed by fishing. If you really like crappie, a 1/2 acre pond cannot grow as great a weight of them as you might like to have. I think the key to succeeding with crappie is harvesting fish less than 10" without feeling disappointed.
I agree with you about the BCP. The only reason I'm even contemplating them is because in either scenario, I see it as a win for me. If they stunt, then they will be the perfect size for the BC to eat, and if they don't stunt, then I'll get some harvestable fish for the table. I'm not a HUGE fish eater. The main point of the BCP would be for BC forage. If they get to eating size, I'd let friends and family take them home to eat. And like you said, a half acre BoW can be managed fairly well via angling, which is also a plus for me.
If I don't add any BG, I'm assuming I should still add some RES for snail/parasite control?
