I think he is saying that these suppliers are viable sources of some species of fish. People don't just stock them in a pond with existing fish but rather use them in an initial stocking or use a grow out facility to grow them to adult sizes where they can reproduce.
If the LMB and Bowfin are reproducing in your pond, you should look at the pickerel as a bonus fish that you might catch from time to time. You don't have a lot of water so maybe around 3 or 4 of them every 3 or 4 years? Stock 10" to 14" Chain pickerel and take what they give you. They do not like water without weeds and might not do as well competing with LMB and Bowfin. Just add them for fun. If you can learn to sex them, try to select females. They tend to live longer and can grow to larger sizes.
The redfin would be more at home in your ditches than in the pond with the other fish. They "might" form a self sustaining community in your ditches but be much less common in your pond. The redfin, even at 2 to 3 years of age, could be prey for LMB and bowfin (and chain pickerel for that matter). I see the redfin best as standalone sportfish that doubles as panfish (8" to 10") and apex predator (>10" but less than 15"). They only tend to live 5 years (much like BG tend to) and aren't going to be large. (1 lb will be an exceptional specimen). They would be best combined with things like small shiner, Gams, dollar sunfish, killifish, etc. In a pond where they are the apex predator, they will utilize all spaces and become the dominate biomass but where other species fill the apex predator role and/or large lepomis represent competition, they will only exist at the margins in low densities or be extirpated.
Last edited by jpsdad; 12/07/20 09:16 AM.
