Upon review of the pics it appears the LMB are mostly slightly under weight, the crappie are in very good condition and the one BG is about average. The ES survey will give you additional data. I would keep culling skinny LMB , some crappie and not harvest BG pending the ES survey. Time of year changes are more pronounced in LMB condition than in crappie or BG so that may account for the thinness shown in the LMB pics. FWIW the interaction of crappie, LMB and BG effect growth in more ways than just straight-line predation. Top-down predation can cause changes in the entire food web causing a myriad of potential effects.

An excerpt from one paper - Opportunistic predators with
large gape dimensions, such as smallmouth bass (Microp-
terus dolomieu ), may consume a wide range of prey types
and sizes, thereby exerting top-down inluences on prey
population dynamics and potentially restructuring aquatic
communities (e.g., Werner and Hall 1974, Jackson 2002).

Last edited by ewest; 06/17/26 12:36 PM.