All a pond needs without bass is one pair of GSF. After two spawns and no bass the Greenies capable of being a big threat of over abundant pests. I have pictures of GSF filled with eggs at 2.5" long! If posting pics were easier I would include the pic. Best of all luck trying to remove GSF with trapping or seining. GSF will eadily enter baited fish traps with some bread or pet food as bait inside. In the right conditions members here in the past have grown GSF to 10" long and as desired guests to dinner. Plan on each 10"-12" LMB eating 300 to 350 greenies per year. Greenies are not as wide body as BG so swallowing them for a bass is easy stuff.
As I recall no one here has posted about the success of using SMB as good predators of GSF. Smallies search the structure for foods especially crayfish/ So both GSF & SMB will live close to near shore habitat so they should frequently encounter each other. However in a side by side test I tend to doubt SMB would equal or exceed the consumption of GSF compared to LMB. In 2006 I did a study of LMB added to a small pond to control a dominant population of GSF. I should go back to that pond in 2022 and check how well the LMB have performed during the past 15 years. That same type of study should be done using SMB instead of LMB.
By all means keep us appraised about the progress of your YP fishery.
Last edited by Bill Cody; 12/12/21 07:45 PM.
