Hmaster says""What minimum size/age of YP/SMB do you need to get so they don't relapse as much?"" That is a gray area. Generally the longer the fish have eaten pellets the more likely they will stay on pellets. Example: fingerling YP will often go off pellets when stocked into a food rich pond - it is instinct, and YP that have been on pellets for 17-24 months rarely eat minnows and are almost exclusive pellet eaters. I generally put pellet trained fish 3"-6" in a cage and continue to pellet feed them, strengthening the pellet eating habit for another 3-12 months.
"... would it make sense to stock the bigger YP this fall or just wait to give the bait fish longer to reproduce?"" I would wait until spring to stock pellet trained perch. Stocking them in the fall allows them and forces them to be in the pond overwinter to weaken or loose the pellet eating urge - lessons. Spring stocking is best IMO since they will likely or hopefully resume pellet eating within 3-10 days and continue pellet feeding for the summer months strengthening the pellet eating habit. It helps to have other or older pellet eating YP or fish ('teacher fish') in the pond to lead the new pellet eaters to the pellet feeding area. If you are not interested in pellet fed fish then fall stocking is okay.
RAH - "" Is there any danger of YP growing large enough to take SMB if small SMB are added later?"" It depends on how habituated or how strong the welfare mentality is to pellets that the perch are. Strong welfare pellet perch rarely eat a minnow even slow swimming FHM. I've seen welfare perch starve in the presence of lots of FHM, bluntnose minnows and grass shrimp. However 5" to 8" aggressive minnow eating perch could eat weak or disoriented SMB fingerlings (1"-2", but not likely healthy SMB fingerlings that are 3"+. From my experience 10"-12" YP generally do not eat 3"+ healthy rapid swimming fish but will take disabled or hampered 4" minnows on a hook. Fingerling SMB of 3"+ have experienced enough cannibalism that they are fairly predator savvy. Good dense habitat that is fairly extensive plays a role in survival of newly stocked small fish.
If stocking in the fall will pellet trained 4" - 6"SMB and 3" - 5" YP resume pellet eating in the spring? This is assuming not caged in a 3/4 acre pond. I plan on feeding when water temps 60+ only.
