I should have snapped a picture and regret that I did not think to do so. If I come across another skinny ill be sure to photograph. From throwing the net I have to say the number of FHM I am finding is outstanding so I would think that there is plenty of food available. The water quality / visibility might be a factor however. The pond has always been a bit muddy in the Spring and even in the Summer it's hard to see anything more than a foot.
My pond never has good visibility either but it is due to algae blooms. Lack of clarity may be why you are getting some recruitment of your YP. All predators hit them hard and the low visibility probably allows more of them to survive. I also think low visibility has allowed my FHM population to survive this many years, but there are a lot less of them than there used to be.
