To rehash, I have a slightly over 1 acre pond, old construction. It was full of mutt bream of the longear/CNBG variety. It also had what appeared to be an infinite number of tiny GSHs. I put 15-20 CC I deemed too large to eat (over 3 pounds) in intermittently 6 to 7 years ago. During that same time frame I started feeding pellets and after a few months I was catching enough hand size bream to eat a few. 5 years ago I decided, after reading this forum, to add LMB. I bought 100 F1 bass (4"-5") locally that were feed trained. A year later, I was seeing zero sign of any bass at all. I got frustrated and pretty much abandoned the pond until earlier this year. When covid hit earlier this year I got bored and started going down there again. I found several 18"-21" LMB. Upon further examination, I found that the panfish were not really any larger than the hand size ones (mostly much smaller) that I was catching 5 years ago but the shiners were much larger. There are many in the 5"-6" range now. I put the feeder back on the pond with cheap catfish feed but have recently switched to aquamax mvp. After further researching (mostly on here) I decided to add 200 RES with hopes of getting a few decent panfish since they do not compete as much with GSH for food. I also added 5 grass carp to help with the pond grass that is/was taking over.

Current Observations:
It appears to my untrained eye that the LMB have affected the GSH average size much more than the bream average size.. It also appears to my untrained eye that the GSHs are not eating very many of the bream eggs. I can catch tons of yoy bream in my minnow trap. Based on my fishing, however, the bream mutts do not appear overpopulated. I know that's not necessarily an accurate way to know, however. There also appears to be at least 10, possibly more, of the catfish left I put in years ago. The entire first year I put the feeder on the pond they never came to the feeder but now they gorge themselves on the feed. Luckily, they never arrive at the feed until a few mins after it goes off so the other fish get to eat before the catfish clean it up. All the fish are much harder to catch (especially the bream) since I added the grass carp. I wonder if the eating size bream that are there are filling up on feed and not interested bait. The carp have clouded up the water some. The water visibility was @ 3' but is now @ 12" give or take (less right after a rain of course.) They are doing there job on the grass, though. My LMB appear to be healthy but lean. I have yet to catch what I'd consider a really fat bass. I have culled @ 20lbs of bass under 14" this year. I should have kept a record but I didn't. Strangely, I noticed that smaller (12" and less) LMB are hitting the MVP feed.

My reason for not nuking the pond is a) the bass are doing pretty well considering I have't culled any before this year and b) the catfish that are basically impossible to catch after being caught 2 or 3 times and gorge themselves on the pellets have pretty much become pets.

I think, and please chime in if you disagree, my best bet is to abandon trying to get the panfish size increased and concentrate on having a good bass pond. Maybe the RES will do okay after a few years. I considered adding HBG to the pond next year but I suspect that would just be throwing more money at a losing battle. I am leaning towards adding tilapia next spring to fatten up the LMB and maybe a few HSB to further thin the GSHs and for fun factor. I know a fish study would be best but I just don't have the funds to throw at it right now. I think my goal now is to make the pond the best whatever it has the most potential for without killing my pet catfish.