jpsdad,
Good reply and link!
It even helps explain some other rules of thumb that are generally applied for pond management.
Many of the state agencies have for decades recommended LMB/BG ponds for pond management rookies. Creating multiple, sustainable food chains in a pond is certainly a more complicated task for a first-time pond manager compared to creating bountiful BG for forage. I wonder if that was a factor in their recommendations?
Also, the recommendations on Pond Boss as LMB generally being the best predator to control BG makes even more sense to me now. Yes, LMB have several morphological advantages to preying on BG, but if they primarily target BG then a LMB will certainly eat more BG than a SMB that might pass on a BG snack because she just ate a large crayfish.
Finally, I wonder if spotted bass have a greater trophic exploitation than LMB. If so, would a small pond with spotted bass as the top predator be capable of higher bass standing weights relative to a LMB pond? (I have caught lots of spots that had crayfish feelers sticking up out of their gullets when the harvested LMB of similar size did not.)
I have posted spotted bass threads on Pond Boss several times, but I do not believe we have a single active pond manager with a significant spotted bass population. Also, I have not found any fish suppliers that carry spotted bass.
I may have to try it in one of my planned ponds and use the expertise on Pond Boss to manage the experiment!
