Originally Posted By: FishinRod
TJ - Thanks for taking all of the time to write up your experience and "walk me through" your learning curve. What year was your initial stocking?

You don't mention your WE. I would think they would thrive on a population of stunted BG, since they have trouble swallowing the bigger ones.

Did the introduction of BG end the recruitment of YP? Do you have small numbers of good eating-size YP?

Finally, how are the RES doing? Did they get started in your pond before the BG got started? Do you now have a few large RES?


Initial stocking of forage [BG, FHM, GSH, Crayfish] was Fall 2008. YP and RES followed in Spring 2009, SMB and HSB in Fall 2009. HBC stocked unintentionally Fall 2010. WE stocked Fall 2011.

BG will be utilized as forage by my predators, but they prefer in this order I think:

Pellets
GSH
YP

That leads me into another issue: Lack of YP during angling surveys. The population has been hit I'm assuming as I used to catch a dozen 10-12" YP through the ice or on jig/crawler combo year round. I think I've still got some bruiser females [13.5" caught this Spring], but their YOY are being hammered hard by WE, SMB, HSB and HBC. I've also noticed that my BG and GSH routinely outcompete the few YP I see in the pond. They just aren't as aggressive and might be marginalized by the more aggressive fish. So, that's two strikes against them. I'm going stock advanced fish once I finish growing them out, but am also dedicating a .4 acre pond to female YP, male BG, and male RES only to provide a trophy fishery. I may have to learn to live without YP in the main pond fishery without supplemental stocking.

Caught a 11.5" RES in early Summer - pond record. I don't target them often, but assume they are performing their role well as I have not witnessed any parasites on my fish. When I catch one I consider it a bonus and a blessing.

Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after. ~ Henry David Thoreau

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