I now have my fish stocked as of 10/13/07.

500 1-3" CNBG
150 1-3" RES
10 lb FHM

Got them from Todd Overton. A very nice man to do business with, and a nice operation. He provided a 40% very small pellet feed to start them off with, and recommended about 8 oz per day. I know I should feed only enough to be cleaned up in about 10-15 minutes, but the pellets are so small that they are hard to see and tell if they are really eaten. Activity goes on for at least 15 minutes.

The shallows all the way around my 3/4 acre pond are always moving with small fish, and I now seem to have some very little fish about the size of a thumbnail (smaller than what I bought)-- cant tell what they are yet.

My questions are:
1. Should I feed more than once per day (I leave home very early so I feed about 5:00 pm CDT)? Is feeding in the early dark OK ?
2. I have been walking around the pond and feeding most all the shallows, should I just throw out all the food in one place to concentrate the smell and let the fish find it ? I felt bad about the little ones that are 60-70 ft away that may not cross the deep water to get to the main feed area. On real windy days I only feed on the upwind side and let the food drift.
3. Would there be any benefit to going to the center of the pond in alum boat and dumping the food there?

I think you need to feed the same place each day. They seem to find you no matter where you're feeding.

I put all the food out in one throw. There were a lot of fish, and I could see some making their way over from the side shores. The smell of the fish food after it got wet was overwhelming.

How can I tell the difference between the CNBG and FHM, or do I just have to wait until some of the fish get bigger than a FHM can get and assume they are the CNBG ? Any idea what those itty-bitty fish are...I saw over 100 today in about 4 inches of water, but it would take about 10 of them to equal an index finger ? Would the FHM have spawned already ? They were pretty chunky when they went in.

FH





BG

Eric the YOY BG in the jar seemed hard to tell apart from FH's. Will young BG school in a pond along with FH and are there easy ways to tell them part before the BG starts taking on a pan shape?

How old were the BG in the jar?

Thanks for the pictures,

Bill

IMHO YOY BG can be discerned, via obsevation while they are in the water, from their shape by the time they reach 1 1/2" or so in length. Other eyes may be better or worse than mine.

I would think (almost) all the CNBG you got from Todd would be showing a BG shape. A FHM spawn already is possible - I bet your water has been warmer than 60 degrees F since they went in.

Thanks Theo. Yes usually but by the time they get a little over an inch they take on the pan shape. I was just wondering how many of my baby FH's (1/8 to 1/2) were actually baby BG. The one not in the jar was about 1/2" and started taking on the pan shape but it would be hard to tell that in the water.

Theo do you think baby BG's will segegrate themselves or will school along the edges with the FH's?

Archer's new small yoy would be FH as the 1-3in BG would not have spawned in a mth. At this time of year in S. TX multiple small feedings through the middle of the day would be best (9 , 12 , 3). All of the yoy that I know about school but generally not several species together.

My water temp was 85F (@surface) and 83F (@9 ft) day before fish went in (2 weeks ago -- 10/13/07). It has dropped to 78 (@surface) and 77 (@9 ft) now. The 1-3" CNBG were on the smallish side when they went in, but I could definitely tell the difference between them and the FHM at the time. These little ones are obviously new, and I figured it was the FHM since they looked fairly mature at stocking, but I had never observed FHM that young. I would have been very surprised to see the CNBG spawn in only 2 weeks.

If multiple feedings are required, then a feeder will be necessary.....too far to drive home and take them lunch. I will try to dipnet a few out and compare to above photos.

Thanks for everyones comments and pictures.