I have the automatic feeder and do throw pellets additional feed near the dock. I purposely walk along the bank area and throw more for smaller fish feeding. You can see the bigger fish eat pellets and also come in 'for the kill' feeding on the smaller fish along the shore. There is a whole lot of eating going on late in the evenings here in Indiana (around 6:30ish to 7:30 ish now). I have one side of the pond penisula with feed and the otherside I do nothing and you can watch both sides and they are eating tremendously in both areas the same. The big fish are literally jumping out of the water to feast. And, yes they do know when it's time for the feeder to go off and come to the dock area--i am still fascinated by the fact that they know when its time and you can, as noted above, see them coming in. Do they hear my footsteps on the dock and associate with food....probably......dot