GREEN SUNNIES!!!! I likes my green sunnies. Can you tell that I'm the third member of the Green Sunfish Fan Club?
Like DIED I have sunfish soup in my pond. I purchased my property with an existing old pond. There had never (as far as I can tell) been any pond management of any sort. My pond had Large Mouth Bass (stunted) and Green Sunfish in it already. I have what I would call a healthy population of GSF.
I agree with DIED, pound for pound, I think GSF have got to be one of the most agressive fighting fish. They will hit a lure like a freight train and fight like crazy. Mine love a "bumble bee" top water lure or a "Rooster tail" lure. Compared to other sunfish of a similar size they have HUGE bass-like mouths.
My pond is a perfect illustration that the GSF by itself will not provide a forage base sufficient to support a healthy bass population. The bass will stunt. That is exactly why I added Bluegill and RES. Actually I added the BG for forage base and the RES to eat the annoying snails.
What will the effect of trying to maintain GSF, BG and RES in a pond with LMB? I'll tell you in a couple of years. I posted my concerns about hybridization and it seemed to me that the general consensus was that since the various sunfish spawn at different temperatures and as long as your water was not completely murky the likely hood of genetics destruction is not very high. Seems like common sense. Could there be some hybridization - - sure, will this cause each of the populations to deteriorate into a mongrel fish - - unlikely. But I'm no expert so don't quote me. I'm just a numbers monkey trying to have fun with my pond.
