Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Corrective stocking About this bluegill problem of mine

You can manage a cool water species fishery with BG present, I do it myself, but it requires intense BG population management tactics. Through angling, seining, trapping and cast nets you can help manage the populations. Through these efforts [even through the ice] I now have multiple year classes of BG present, and actually grow some nice 10-11" BG - but it's been a lot of work...work I enjoy, but still...it's endless. Since you're managing a micro pond it will be far easier to manage than a larger BOW - so you also have that going for you.

Your smaller BG [1-3"] will serve as forage for your predators, you don't need to focus on management of BG that size, rather the issue is the 4"+ fish that are nearly invulnerable to predation in a limited gape predator fishery. If unmanaged the BG will stack in that 4-6" slot and overpopulate. Those are the fish you need to target in the seasons to come.

Mixing BG with RES is totally unacceptable for a professional hatchery - I'm sorry you had that experience. I personally would have demanded a refund, or they could have drained, seined, nuked and restocked my fishery.