IMO whichever size of the stocking GSH, I would do it in the spring as soon as possible just prior to the lake reaching 65F and then the GSH spawning temperature of 70F. At that temperature the lake will / should have a phytoplankton / rotifer density to feed the fry and also larger zooplankton to feed 2"-3" GSH. Has the lake water ever been quantitatively analyzed for zooplankton in Spring to see if there is adequate foods to grow GSH fry?
For 60 acres of water, a good option IMO would be to stock both fry and young shiners and then several orders sequentially from the Fish Farm of each grouping to help insure better chance of survival. For that large of a water body,,, I would be getting some GSH fry every 2-3 weeks or monthly as long as they are available. GSH will spawn several times (4-5) each summer, thus it would be very wise to stock the fry 2 to 4 times during the late spring, early summer as this increases their chance of surviving in the lake. The zooplankton populations may not be adequate as foods for good fry survival during the just one stocking of fry. IMO cut your losses by making AT LEAST two stockings of GSH fry. Having and managing 60 acres of water is not a cheap endeavor. It is big water requiring significant dollars. When going big,,,, be prepared to pay big. With GSH,,, do diligent homework to insure good spawning habitat is available for GSH brooders that manage to survive. You may need to buy some spawning mats to provide optimum spawning sites. Learn how the fish farms do it.
If I had a 60 acre body of water to work with, I would be building one or two small 0.25 to 1 acre forage ponds or renting one to grow the needed fish stocking supplements. Or be prepared to pay $,$$$$ for the needed forages.
If your 60 acres of water is in need of more forage or it has a forage shortage, it is very possible that the lake already has too many predators or the goals for the lake are unrealistic. Too many predators can easily overeat the produced forages of what the lake can naturally produce thus more forage is needed to keep up with the production or recruitment of too many annual new predators. Are the anglers doing due diligence to remove the proper number of smaller predators? This could mean for 60 acres 1,200 smaller LMB be removed per year. Or does the lake have the correct predator numbers and or species to effectively prey on or eat the smaller predators to keep them in proper number balance for the goals??? Again -- Why is there a shortage of forages and does it have too many of the wrong size/s of predators.?? Know the proper number of existing predators for the correct balance of predators needed to match the natural productivity of the lake ecosystem. Having too many carp causing too much turbidity that reduces natural productivity, that results in less fish production per each acre. This means fewer pounds of fish can be produced per acre. Ideally the fishery capacity or standing crop should match the water's abiltiy to produce. Having too many cattle or grazers per acre in a pasture means the need for more forages and or added feed supplements to keep the cattle producing to their ability.
IMO 60 Acres should be receiving regular pro-fish electroshocking episodes to ROUTINELY determine the fishery balance to help the owner/s manage it for achieving the fishery goals for the lake. Again – Owning a 60 acre lake requires spending big dollars if achieving the desired goals are really important. When going big,,,, be prepared to pay big. In my many years, I’ve learned that managing a 1/3 acre pond is a lot cheaper in time and money than managing a 1-2 acre pond. Bigger almost always requires more.
Would gsh eat carp eggs or small carp fry?
I don't think GSH would eat significant numbers of carp eggs nor carp fry mainly because carp eggs are very adhesive and stick pretty tightly to the surface where they are laid or deposited. GSH do not feed by eating stuff off of surfaces such as periphyton and things associated with it such as carp eggs. As I know it,,,,, carp fry are mostly benthic in nature or living among dense structure and do not inhabit the same areas as GSH fry i.e. open water. Do your AI homework on this topic to verify my opinions.
