GATROUT, I think that Theo has asked the most critical questions that must be answered before we go on. What do you want from your lake and how much time, effort and money are you willing to devote to achieve these goals over time?
Like almost anything else in this world, it all depends... There have been a lot of discussions about HBG. In my experience, they do grow bigger, faster and are more agressive than bluegill. While they are certainly fertile, in most cases, I think they should be considered a non-reproducing fish. There are three reasons for this. First, while the F1 cross does exhibit hybrid vigor, the following generations usually show hybrid depression. Second, in the presence of LMB, because the young have more of the shape of GSF, they are eaten before pure BG. And lastly, as most people know, these hybrids are mostly males.
In our lake, we have both. However, without constant restocking, I think we would quickly loose the HBG.
