SetterGuy, I know it was frustrating to never be able to catch one of your original HSB stockers, but what a great thing to be able to say that this time around they are alive and kicking! Post pictures when you can and I'm thrilled for you.
It is strange that your YP aren't reproducing and the next generation growing up. I too seem to have very little survival of the YOY YP in the last 2 years and despite an over abundance of egg strands this spring, cannot find the typical small YP on the bottom in the shallows like I used to see. I haven't see any baby or juvenile YP this year at all. I'm afraid the GSH that I have left are quite large and vacuuming up the YP fry as they swim up. I may have to just restock 4-5" YP at some point as my adult YP are getting 'long in the tooth'
we are catching very large GSH 7" or more on small hooks baited with corn or worms. If we could catch a bunch and save them they would make a great resale opportunity for large predator fisherman (catfish, northern pike, LMB, SMB) or the local baitshop.
We don't see any smaller GSH so hopefully the old females have become sterile.
SetterGuy, your SMB must be growing like crazy with all those shiners!!
Thank you. It was a frustrating several years. Seeing all the pics and hearing the stories of folks catching HSB. Meanwhile we had seen zero. Well last year with Covid my son in law really fished hard. Caught countless SMB, and HBG. Still zero HSB. I finally threw in the towel. We had a lot of mortality with a several species of the original stocking. I am still not 100% sure I had zero HSB survive, but I’m 90% sure. Ha! The new ones appear to be doing well. I’ve got a few pics, but can’t get Photobucket to work any more. I guess I need to find another picture hosting service. The YP are funny. We were catching a lot of YP five years ago. But it seems like we have fewer and fewer every year. So I added 40 last fall when we stocked the HSB. I think a few of those, as small as they were produced some ribbons this spring. We are seeing a lot of little ones. I’m hoping they grow and reproduce next year. So I’m definitely keeping the feeder going. Im hoping also that the HSB will help with the explosion of HBG. That, and keeping every HBG caught might slow them down. Because I think the very high HBG numbers are what’s knocking down the YP survival. Two of the HBG we caught this last weekend were 1.5 lbs, and two of the SMB were over 3 lbs. We still do a lot of swimming in the pond, and the HBG strikes seemed reduced. Just maybe that’s due to the HSB. I am hoping anyway. Ha I may try stocking FHM again, but they were cleaned out pretty quickly when my HBG took off. I’m thinking I’d just be wasting resources. I’d sure like to add aeration some day. Maybe a solar package (affordable) will come along one of these days. Seems like prices are going in the other direction lately though. Good luck with your YP CC, they are still my favorites for the table.
9 yr old pond, 1 ac, 15' deep. RES, YP, GS, FHM (no longer), HBG (going away), SMB, and HSB (only one seen in 5 yrs) Restocked HSB (2020) Have seen one of these. I think that's about all I should put in my little pond. Otter attack in 2023
