Originally Posted By: salex
George,

Can you tell me how your experience has been with HSB and LMB in the same pond? Does one fish out compete the other for food? What have you found in addition to threadfin has been a good food source for HSB? What feed are you using if any to feed them? Have you ever had or heard of successfull spawning of HSB in ponds.

Sorry for all the questions. I have not stocked them, but I am intrigued.

Thanks in advance.

Hi Steve, this is going to be tough questions to keep in perspective because I know you well enough to know that you are very knowledgeable and have a passion for Largemouth bass.

On the other hand, I have fished for LMB all of my life and quite honestly got bored with them, having fished seriously through all of the Lake Fork years and fishing all of the hot water lakes in this part of the country.

I discovered Striped Bass on Lake Texoma early 1980s and pursued them with a passion for some 20 years – then I discovered Hybrid Striped Bass - they are easier to catch and will outfight a LMB several times over.

When my son built “our” ponds in 2000/2001, Jeff being a hardcore LMB fisherman wanted bass and I wanted to experiment with HSB even though I was discouraged by TP&W.

I ended up managing the ponds primarily for HSB, becoming primarily pellet fed, taking the pressure off of forage species available for LMB.
Quite frankly, I never targeted LMB until advent of Camelot Bell LMB genetics to improve our pure Florida LMB strain.

By using grow-out ponds, Hybrid Striped Bass fingerlings can be either feed trained or forage trained. Our first forage/grow out pond was stocked with CNBG and FHM and had so many the pond looked black. We then stocked inexpensive HSB fingerlings and they were not catchable with pellet flies – I thought they had all died.
Jeff told me he was catching them on spinner baits – my wife and I then caught 17, 8 inch HSB in one afternoon to transfer to main pond.

Next batch were started on pellets and became instantly pellet trained.
LMB and HSB may or may not compete for the same food; it all depends on how you want to manage them. There may or may not be competition for forage – Florida LMB, to the best of knowledge, cannot me feed trained.

We have not been successful in experimental stocking threadfin shad, but since we have such good bloom this year Todd Overton wants to try again.

Our primary feed program for HSB has been Purina AquaMax pellets, but feeding could be a supplement to forage in your big lakes IMO.

There have been rare incidents reported of HSB minor spawns in ponds and lakes – Stacy of Stubby Steve fame has reported HSB spawn.

Hope this has not been too long winded but I have a passion for HSB.
You are aware of Texas Parks and Wildlife stocking increased numbers of HSB in public waters – some of my bass fishing friends are fast being converted to Hybrid Striped Bass fishermen. TP&W are now calling them “Palmetto Bass”.


Thanks for your questions - I have detail info to share that may be helpful.
Good luck spring fishing your very productive lakes.
George



N.E. Texas 2 acre and 1/4 acre ponds
Original george #173 (22 June 2002)