QA,
So just a few thoughts ...
1. If we take there to be 25 HSB averaging 3.5 lbs and 10 HSB averaging 2 lbs we're talking around 108 lbs of HSB. This translates to 432 lbs/acre of HSB. IIRC you've been feeding in the neighborhood of 40 to 50 lbs annually. So one thing comes to mind, there is no way the feed is fully supporting that weight of HSB let alone growing them to those sizes. So we must know that the pond is producing a fair amount of forage for those HSB. I have a sense, even with supplemental feed, that its taking between 2 to 3 lbs of forage annually to sustain the growth and maintenance of your HSB. That's somewhere between 800 and 1200 lbs per acre forage production.
2. Given your estimate of HBG numbers (both F1s and F2s), perhaps a minor proportion of that forage is prey fish production. I know that 400 lbs of LMB probably couldn't be sustained buy such low estimate of prey fish. Usually balanced populations (using Swingle's definition) are obtained when the Weight of BG is roughly 3 times the weight of LMB. That said, given that the numbers are low, there would probably be very good survival of swim up fry as they'd have lots to eat with little competition. The question is how successfully the panfish are reproducing. If they are successfully reproducing, then indeed the HSB must have been very successfully limiting their recruitment to adult sizes. But to conclude the latter, one must also accept the former premise. Which brings me to next thought.
3. Could the crayfish be inhibiting the successful recruitment of swim up fry? Is it possible that the crayfish interfere with panfish nesting to the point that they don't get a lot of swim up?
My hunch is that most of that 800 to 1200 lbs/acre of forage production is crayfish production. Otherwise, the HBG are supporting way more HSB standing weight than could ever have supported LMB standing weight (HBG reproductive potential much more limited than BG). The crayfish are probably very resistant to predation once reaching 3.5" to 4" and a predator that could take them at those lengths without a second thought might be a big help. So I do like your idea of adding some CC to your pond as well.
One last hunch. I would bet a Lincoln to your donut that the best bait to catch HSB in your pond is the thing they eat most. My hunch is that this would be crayfish. Try removing the claws on one of the 3.5" crays and fish it 3' below a bobber. It may not take very long to catch one.
On the catfish, it might be good to get some adult females 5 lbs or larger that are still fairly young. So a catfish producer usually wants broodfish between 5 and 8 lbs. Since 8 lb fish might be younger than 4 or 5 years of age at a hatchery ... these would be optimal. They usually wont grow that fast in wild. So you reach out and see if a nearby producer might have larger female brooders available in June after they have recovered seed. The females will be much less prone to burrowing and at this size ... just as soon as their appetite returns ... they'll be munching the larger craws which is the gap you need filled. They could provide meaningful crayfish control for many years before needing replacement. I would probably stock at 60 to 80 lbs/acre and then ladder in 4 or 5 years. We are only talking 4 5lbers or maybe 3 8 lbers in your pond.
Last edited by jpsdad; 03/22/21 03:29 PM.
