I'm trying to get at is conversion rates for LMB when eating a pound of forage of a given species. Which species of forage (Tilapia, threadfin shad, crawfish or bluegill) is likely to give you the biggest pound of gain? I understand lots of variables going into this analysis and we can say it "all depends" . But can anyone boil it down to which of the 4 listed species of forage will (Likely-educated guess) hhave the best conversion rate, without getting into expendable energy to catch it or how much more babies a tilapia makes, or how big the forage is. Its a ROI question.
"IF EATEN" Crawfish provides the highest return of the 4 you mention. BUT...the highest density of available forage could very possibly be another species.
Most abundant of the right size at the right time-which can change in any pond setting at any time through a season-will be most utilized.
Forage diversity provides best growth for LMB for never having to miss a meal at any given time of year.
Every single pond will have a unique forage to forage relationship and to have a high density of many types of forage requires thought into the diversity of the habitat and structure required to have abundant populations of all forage types. Availability will vary for many reasons.
