Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Feeding Bluegill capitalists?

It seems to me that my feeding is resulting in much fatter bluegill than I have any right to expect. Is it possible that if the fish are not overpopulated and if the availability of natural food sources is high (very irregular pond outline, so a lot of shoreline per acre + fertilized), then maybe any nutrients absorbed from fish food might give a higher weight-gain yield than would be expected from the usual published figures? In business terms, the food is all profit to the bream, I am thinking. Is there any data or other evidence on this?
Lou, 13.5 acres

That is one major purpose of supp. feeding. Because the BG can eat natural food and then at feeding time eat pellets with little or no expense of energy it is an add on in terms of nutrition. Not sure what type of data you are looking for. The recognized effect of either or both a fert. or feeding program (in most of the SE) is to grow more pounds of fish per acre than the pond would normally. This added poundage will be some combination of fish weighing more (better condition K and RW) and over time more fish. Most published growth figures are from natural lakes or in a few cases aquaculture operations.

Thanks for the helpful response.
Lou