Need some spread size help

I'm looking to pick some of your brains on spread size. I know a lot of guys out there doing really well with just 12-18 mallards out, and maybe a few can floaters and a mojo at the most. It's good to hear a small spread like that works well, but I'm wondering if and when a larger spread would ever hurt you? DU has some nice articles on decoy spreads, and they suggest that there's nothing wrong with a small spread BUT more decoys will never hurt you.



I'm headed up north to deer camp this weekend, but will be duck hunting most of the time. Our deer camp is about a 500 acre property with a private lake on it that is a bit shy of a square half mile. It's no tiny marsh, so I'm wondering if I should roll out all the soldiers on this one, which is about 5 dozen ducks and a half dozen can floaters, plus my mojo (specifically, it's 24 mallards + 2 butts, 6 magnum blacks, 6 pintail drakes + 2 butts, 6 woodies, 6 GWTs, 6 mixed magnum divers (2 buffie, 2 goldeneye, 2 canvasback), 6 canada floaters and the mallard drake mojo wing spinning floater).



Just wondering whether any of you would recommend choking up on that spread and not putting them all out on a lake like that. The private lake is only a mile or so from BIG water, so we get divers in there all the time.



Thanks in advance gentlemen.



Josh

Need some spread size help