You have a pretty good idea of what is "gape limit". I think there is a PB thread that shows the mouth gape size for HSB. Someone might be able to find that thread for you/us. See this old thread where I deal with this topic.
https://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=373075IMO fish usually eat things smaller than their gape size because studies have shown it is most beneficial for predators to quickly as possible to capture and swallow the food item so another fish does not steal the food item; a common occurrence and technically called kleptoparasitisim. IMO - If smaller food items are readily available the predators most often choses smaller prey than their gape size. Behavior of prey also enters predation of sizes of food items eaten.
Pond Stocking - You are encountering a common problem. Fish sizes and fish species are not always available due to production limits and shortages to fish farms. Plus Jones is suggesting more FHM/GSH than IMO what you really need for a small 0.25 ac pond that already has some FHM stocked back in Oct 2024. You always have to remember fish farms make a lot of extra money selling lots of minnows and often push too many when no predators are initially stocked. Jones gave you a generalized blanket stocking amount for a 0.25 ac having new predators and for unwise newbee pond owners and assuming predators are stocked right away with the minnows. It is a business.
If you stock 5 lbs FHM and 2-3 lbs of GSH and no predators present this stocking should provide PLENTY of minnows by Fall when you stock some HSB as predators I have stocked 3 lbs of FHM in 0.25ac with fingerling YP and had plenty of minnows present by fall. Use the extra money dedicated to minnows to buy other sport fish. This plan is especially true if you initially pellet feed the SBS and or HSB when get them in Spring/Fall. My experience has been that if too many FHM are stocked with no predators to eat them, the pond quickly becomes over populated with to many small fish and they do not grow and stay around 1". Too many new baby FHM OVEREAT the natural foods (zooplankton) which results in very poor growth. This same thing basically happens with all fishes. Withgood ample spawning habitat present and no predators, you will be amazed at how many minnows will be present in Fall 2025 if you stock 3-5 lbs FHM and 2 lbs GSH and no predators to eat offspring. Provide the correct spawning substrate for GSH and the FHM.
If you stock SBS of any size if you can find them in Spring, they will grow well by eating mostly invertebrates - (myriads of insect larvae that quickly develops in a new pond). If you are able to add some pellets the SBS will grow faster. Then any size HSB that you can stock in Fall will be okay to survive. Ask if Jones sells smaller quantities than 40 lbs of pellets (5-10lbs). Buy a size appropriate for SBS and new HSB maybe 1/8"-3/16".
