Originally Posted by FireIsHot
I'm taking the opposite route by giving the stocked CNBG a year to spawn, and hopefully have 10's if not 100's of thousands of stunted CNBG fry and fingerlings. This fall, I'll stock another 100-200 3-4" CNBG from my hatchery pond. I'm up for our electroshocking next year, and will get it the last week of March, or the first week of April, and pull 15-20 female LMB out for neighbor's pond. If a male is accidentally stocked, then I would think the ravenous small CNBG would handle a LMB bed or two. Since 1/4" pellets are all that will be thrown to the small number of breeder sized CNBG, the YOY should have slow growth and hopefully be runts, and not outgrow the LMB gape.

[Linked Image]

That does sound like an excellent plan. Which means I don't understand why it is not done more often?

Your CNBG are very tall dorsal to ventral (correct term?), so they are difficult to swallow. I assume you raised them in a well-balance pond. If they get overpopulated in your neighbor's pond, they SHOULD be somewhat stunted. They will be thinner, but will stunting also make them less tall? (And therefore easier to swallow?)

You also say you can correct the BG overpopulation problem if it runs away. What is the weight/length of the LMB that can eat the BG just below the size of your broodstock? What age would those bass be, considering they will be getting "Texas" growth rates plus abundant BG forage of every size range?

It seems to me, that the LMB would get the explosive "early" growth rate, like in a heavy FHM pond, but then also get the explosive "middle" growth rate due to the overabundance of BG.

I guess my basic question is, would that plan result in a superior LMB fishery (which goals?) more assuredly than starting the LMB earlier and trading "time" for "growth rate".

Thanks to AL or anyone else who replies,
FishinRod