I was wondering if blue cats eat pellets? I have been feeding since august and have everything in the world eating the pellets but blue cats. i know they are there because i catch more of them on fishing rods than the channels. Do they prefer to chase live prey than eat fish food?

Zach a very intresting question...I am so glad you started this thread, although I am afraid very few people will respond. I tell you, you will ask about diffrent species 'if they will eat pellets' and you always get "Oh Yehaa" "sure they eat pellets" I get this from every fish Dealer on just about every species execept Redear.
My guess is, Blues only eat pellets when they absolutly have to. These guys, I don't care what people tell you, are as predatious as Bass or even Flatheads for that matter. From what I read, you have a TON of forage in you LAKE, in the form of shad and other bait fish...correct?? If so blues are going to eat them, and not the pellets.
The first pond I had two years ago had blues for about a year when I stocked them...they NEVER eat the feed, but the channles tore it up.

Hello, big_pond. I hate it when dealers say that. I had an acco dealer say that everything will eat the stuff and when i first threw it out the channels came up to it and swam off. They didnt even take a bite. Then i got the normal food that is sold at tractor supply and they tore it up. Anyway i pretty sure there is alot of shad still because i catch them in the cast net regularly. I also have a better bluegill population now due to better spawning habitat. I dont know but somebody will post something.

I use the Tractor Supply food also and have found the cats and everything else love it. Even have had some bass this year come up for it. I was spending 10.00 a pound on my Koi food and now they get the catfish feed also and are doing great. As far as the blues I have never caught one on the trotline or rod and reel on cut bait but live shiners that's a different story. The 116 pound blue caught here in the Tennessee River in Alabama hit a live skipjack herring about 18 inches in length. I was caught in the lagoon for the local Nuclear Power Plant so maybe that had something to do with it!

Bob

All i know is that my fish love the tractor supply food also. Everything eats that feed including my dogs!

But, do the Blues eat the Tractor food??

Hey Zach my fish eat Tractor Supply food too and my Jack Russell loves it also. Not a bad price for 32% protein either.

What is the price for 32% at Tractor Supply? I just paid $15 for Aquamax.

RatherBeFishin,
Do you have Blues?? are they eating the food?

Big_Pond, I didn't stock any blues tho I do love to catch them. I think I'm paying $11.99 for the 32% food at Tractor Supply.

I have blues and channels in a small pond. The blues tear up the food. BUT they seem to be more finicky on what time and temperature. I haven't figured it out but they seem to do better in cool and low light like late evening. I have easy to catch rosy red fathead minnows and I know they eat lots of them.

BrianH how big are your blues??
How are your blues handleing stress, are you finding alot of them dieing?

I also have a jack russel that eats it. It must be the high protein content.

Hey where is newbie in all this??? He has had Blues for a while!!

Hey Newbie where you at buddy! How are your fish doing these days!

Big Pond, my brother-in-law caught a maybe four pounder the other day. If you remember my channels spawned and over populated so everything grew slow. I'm hoping they are now big enough to out compete the channels.
I have never seen a dead blue but I don't think I have as many as I started with. I had some water turkeys hang out a lot the first winter and I had one or two low oxygen periods. A few dead fatheads were all I've ever found.

It is 11.99 here in Huntsville at Tractor Supply.

Bob

i just stocked a 1/2 acre pond with 20 blues that weigh from 5lbs to 30lbs last year and did not expect them to eat at all but to my surprise, they all came up to eat. it took them about 3 weeks to learn what the koi were doing but once they started they didn't stop. they did stop after the water temped dropped some in october but started back up around may 1st. those big ones are fun to watch. my fish are wild so i think they may be more aggresive. good luck. i also buy my feed from tractor supply!

thats a lot of blues for 1/2 acre. Hope you have plenty of forage. They will be eating everything in sight!

The Koi should soon turn into a snack.

My blues are tareing up the feed but my channels are NO WHERE to be found! When I stocked the fish the channels were 2 to 3 inches while the blues were 4 to 6 inches! I think the blues dominate the feed and run the channels off. I also have bluegill that are eating well also..

Where are you Robinson? "Looks like we need us a trash fish forum"