Thanks for the advice, my only fear of waiting to starve them at 4- 5 inches is that they would never accept pellets after getting used to better food for so long , I had a 12 inch bass a few years ago I picked up off a guy who strictly gave them bloodworms and shrimp and he never accepted a pellet the entire time I had him no matter whatNice job. But keep in mind for future reference, Never starve a bass under 4". Can effect its growth.