When having pond forum questions it is always a good idea to first use a search engine – I like google.
First type Pond boss forum then your topic search words It works very good for me if I use the correct search words.
First Question: “recommended fish scale to use to determine RW of the fish?”
Scales for weighing fish – what members use & ideas
https://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=497761LMB choosing stockers
Knowing a really good fish supplier is a VALUABLE asset. IMO best way to get jumpers from your local ‘fish guy’ or any fish farm owner is talk to him not the secretary nor helper, give him your goals and why you want jumper bass no more than 1 yr old; 2 yr olds are less likely to be jumpers. You can agree that he can supply young jumpers from his current year class, such as hand picked jumper bass in Jul, Aug or Sept. This ASSUMES that he grows his own bass. If he buys them from a wholesale supplier the jumpers have always been graded out of the bass by the wholesaler that he bought from to sell. Fish farms buying LMB from large wholesalers is a very common practice.
Make sure you tell him if he does not do his best for you, you will provide positive or negative feedback for him on every Facebook, YouTube, and public forum you can find, including Pond Boss Forum. That alone should make him pay close attention to your plan and then agree or decline to sell you bass. IMO do not agree if he tells you his non-jumper bass will grow just as well as all or any normal bass. He then does not know much about and does not fully understand fish genetics and their potential for growth.
Go find someone else who will work seriously and honestly with you. Searching and finding a real good fish supplier can be a big challenge. “Fish sellers are all not cut from the same cloth”. Experts are experts for good reasons; same principle applies to doctors and all professions. Average fish guys are average as they perform with average requirements and casual reasons. If you really want premium bass you may have to travel 4 to 5 hours one way to get the premium fish from a premium fish farm. 25 – 30 jumper bass are not difficult to haul 4-5 hours if they are packed and prepared properly by the fish farm who knows how far you have to travel to get home.
GSH per pound
You ask – “you mentioned in your post to stock 4-7 lbs per acre of GSH and I want to try to get an idea of how many fish that actually is.
Weight of each fish depends on specie of fish, length of the fish, and plumpness of individual fish. For your GSH as an average: @ 3” long = abt 100-125 per pound; 4” 50-60/lb; 5” = 17-22/lb, 6” = 9-12/lb.
