I'll take a stab at 4.

Fertilization has its strengths and weaknesses. If your water is naturally fertile, you don't need it and is no substitute for proper stocking. Do a water test for alkilinity and then make a sechi disk to determine your visibility and the plankton base. The forage fish will naturally reproduce and a bluegill can spawn at 3.5 to 4 inches. It is just a matter of time until they get to the proper size and numbers to support predators. This leads into your question regarding timing of bass stocking. Most of us disagree with stocking of predators with the forage(We don't sell fish). My usual advise is "When the bass can go to sleep with their mouth open and wake up with a full belly, it's time to stock them". A parallel: How many cows would you stock on a newly planted pasture?

I would PERSONALLY stock 2 to 3 inch BG or CNBG and let them grow.

Last edited by Dave Davidson1; 09/04/07 06:14 PM.
It's not about the fish. It's about the pond. Take care of the pond and the fish will be fine. PB subscriber since before it was in color.

Without a sense of urgency, Nothing ever gets done.

Boy, if I say "sic em", you'd better look for something to bite. Sam Shelley Rancher and Farmer Muleshoe Texas 1892-1985 RIP