Jim,
You've already got answers from the two best...George and Todd...and not surprisingly, I agree with both of them.
Like George, I've been moving to a HSB based fishery in my largest pond. They work really well with Florida bass already present. The Florida bass help produce large BG and provide entertainment at the feeders and other than that, are of no value.
I purchased F1's from Todd for an experimental pond...just can't give up completely on LMB yet, but may... and he is absolutely correct in his description of their aggressive behavior. I have described in other posts their behavior of chasing small fish to the dirt, to the bank. It is amazing to watch, something I have never seen a warm water fish do in a pond.
However, the F1 is good only for one generation...what happens after a couple of years and spawns, what characteristics will the offspring have? Time will tell.
In the meantime, HSB is a great choice to meet your objectives. You won't be sorry you stocked them..especially if you use that 5 wt that George talked about...what a fish, that HSB.
One last comment, I would not add F1's to your mix like Todd suggests. For one thing, they likely will be eaten by larger fish, and for another, you can only support so many predators per acre. I would not add F1's to that mix, but go with the HSB. Maybe Todd will counter. I added a few last spring with fins clipped and haven't seen a one of them in the Florida pond. I believe they were casualties. Let us know what you decide and how it turns out, Jim.
