ewest, good reading, I always appreciate your threads & input. While years of research yields clues to reproduction, growth rates, and catch limits, I'm looking for an equation that provides a natural balance. Today's pond owners have access to mighty open water predators like HSB and prolific breeders like Tilapia. I believe times have changed, my aim is to predict crappie behavior, not sporatic spawn numbers. Impossible...maybe, but I'll try anyway.
It's kind of like a Man bites Dog concept. Historically, crappie spawn first and eat everything in sight causing overcrowded conditions. In reverse, a forage population that remains intact (due to Tilapia being the primary forage fish) jump the jouvenile crappie early Spring.
Crappie have a weak spot like everything else, Their early spawn will be met head on by gambusia, shiners, and a massive bgill population. HSB will take advantage of their deep water migration pattern in the summer.
LMB are my wildcard, and until I see signs of threatening crappie numbers, I will cull them to keep relative weights at or around 100%.
