OK, first off an open pollination means he used multiple males and females from his F2 generation.
Secondly, you should totally buy some BCSC Northern Lights I hear they have a great website. B got his back when BCSC was actually worthwhile back in '95 or '96.
Thirdly, the original NL#5 was a clone, hence the #5, and so the original seed releases were crosses between a male in the stock of the seed company and the original #5 clone (supposedly) and then either bx'd or not to the NL#5 clone. BCSC's NL#5 was in no way an actual true breeding 7+ generation IBL when they came on the scene. I've grown maybe 20-24 females of NL#5 and NL#1 varieties from different seed companies or from clone over the past decade, and there's always been at least two phenotypes and two chemotypes in every NL seed grow I've done. Pole plants and christmas trees; and usually piney/menthol and then depending on the breeder either citrus or incense. It's not like you're going to run them and come up with a 14 week 4x stretch haze, but my direct experience with Northern Lights has been that the ones with more afghani influence, i.e. the shorter and faster finishing varieties, tend to be lower yielding and have a more one dimensional stone; consequently while they might be better suited to SOG growers or people growing purely for speed, I prefer ones that are bigger and a little take a little longer in exchange for a heftier per plant yield and a more blueberry-like high.
I've never worked with Peak Seeds NL, but it is also worked out from the original mid nineties BCSC Northern Lights #5; and I've heard it is one of if not the best NL representations on the market.
Lastly, have you done a lot of f2 and f3 crosses? I've always found that in order for an f3 generation to have more variation than an f2 you have to intentionally breed it into the f3, and if you have more undesirable phenotypes in your f3 than f2 that means that you had a problem with your selection for parents. I have a good deal of confidence in B's ability to select desirable parents, more than in any other breeder working today.
I grew the same northern lights from bcsc back then as well through emery seeds. It is(was) a great one. I never had a sativa dominant one, mine was the super healthy fast growing desnsly branched christmas tree shaped indica, that was true to the original description of northern lights. Its high was multi dimensional; as it was happy,uplifting,positive,relaxing,comforting effect. The smell was pungent,shunky,slightly grape/berry, with the flavor being similar to the smell, with added sour cream n oinon n pineynness.
Now that is also similar to some northern lights i smoked from humbolt about 5 or so years earlier.
I think that grape incense comes from the sensi seeds variety of northern lights, as i have gottten that in their jack herer.
Now on f-2 n f-3......the f-2 is the full compliment of expression the variety has(f-1 being great for a combination of the two parents and excellent vigor,great for cloning), then after you select your f-2's then the f-3 is needed to further weed out recessive traits and still has much variation expressed. Then through haed core selection in the f-3, desirable traits start getting a higher percentage in the offspring......then this process can get repeated till your content with the results. For me....i like to "try" to breed till the seeds come up uniform, like clones, then its pretty much stable, and will male excellen breeding material in future projects, as it will impart hybrid vigor and consistency to your next cross.
I am confident in Bodhi as well, and love his creations, but i was more wondering if there was more info on his decision and direction,then the paragraph i read on seedsman.