Mine is probably a very unpopular opinion here on the forum but I am a firm believer that you can control BC populations easily in a small pond as long as your not afraid to eat a bunch of them without them being 15" slabs, even a smaller BC will make a nice little fillet and some of the best eating there is.
I know this because I have controlled their numbers, even white crappie that don't make as nice a fillet, and seem to be much more prolific to spawn, and I ate like a king.
This is exactly what we want. I have standing orders from the missus to bring home every legal crappie I can get in the boat. Seriously, we would eat fish almost every day if we could.
Could SMB potentially keep BCP under control with my filleting every 8"-10" crappie I can pull out? Besides RES, is there another species of tasty fish that might also work out? YP, for example, or... if I'm going to experiment, maybe apply the KISS principle & start with SMB, BCP & RES?
What do y'all think about stocking rates & schedule? Looks like around here, SMB & BCP are available in the fall, with sunfish in the spring. Maybe 50 RES Spring '23, along with say 25 HBG to feed as much Optimal as they'll eat over the summer (& catch out & eat as soon as they're big enough)? Then, Fall '23 25-50 BCP & 10-15 SMB? I'll keep feeding any fish in the pond that'll eat it & if I have a couple HBG to play monkey-see, monkey-do & help teach the RES to take pellets, I will absolutely try to feed train them & will try to feed train the SMB if it can be done.
Alternatively, I'm open to other ideas to put a lot of filets on the table that don't involve catfish or require restocking of fish that can't/won't reproduce? I'm retired & the pond's 50 yards from my front door. With plans for a "waterfront" tiki bar & floating dock, so harvesting fish shouldn't be too onerous a chore to attend to.
