I tossed in some feed by hand a few days ago. When I did that the dust from the feed of course fell short, near the edge. We have a good number of golden shiners and a school came in and swarmed all over it.

A few of the big pellets drifted in to the shore and the shiners started attacking them. Two finally sank and could see them on the bottom. The shiners came back over and over until they were gone. I guess as it got soft they ate it.

I wondered why I never see any left over feed in the pond, now I know why.

I've always tried to put a little feed in close to shore so the FHM and fingerling BG would get some. I hand feed from a 4 wheel UTV and throw feed sidearm with my left hand. Most goes out deeper but always a few pellets hit close to shore.

Like you said, as the pellets soften the small fish just keep pecking at it till it is gone (unless a bigger fish sneaks up into shallow water and steals it).

I got started feeding the small fish that way because in the beginning when the pond was first stocked that is all I had, small fish. The fingerling BG I rarely saw but the FHM really learned to eat the feed quickly (with the BG catching on as they got a little bigger). So wife and I used to sit on the dock and feed the FHM and BG. No longer any FHM around the dock as what is left is relegated to the shallow banks hiding from the LMB.

I had some very fine granules of 50% tilapia feed left over from when my tilapia were small. Tossed some of that in the shallows by my big rock (Big Thinking Rock) where a bunch of 2" BG hang out. You would have thought I was throwing candy to kids. Boy did they love that stuff. They would come up into a couple inches of water, stare at me, and beg for more.

garryc,
My li'l BOW is pretty efficient as well. When I first started feeding small pellets, the FHM would push the floating feed around until it softened up enough, until they could ingest some. I'm sure there are some pellets that make it towards the bottom, but I'm sure the turtles knock that out before it ever makes it down. I used to throw 5 seconds of feed twice daily, and it would take the fish ~15 mins. to clean it up. Lately, I've been throwing 8 seconds twice daily and an extra 5 seconds later at 8:00 p.m. The fish clean up the feed in about 90 seconds. You can learn a lot watching them feed. Observing pellet feedings is a constant source of amusement for me....

It has been my observation that the fish actually prefer pellets that are not on the surface. Assuming the pellets do not make it to deep enough water that is below the thermocline and devoid of oxygen, they will get cleaned up off the bottom.

I've observed this preference in several different ways. When the water is clear enough to see the bottom, lots of fish much prefer to not come to the surface and will take a pellet mid water or on the bottom over something floating on the top. I think they come to the top because they have to, not because they want to. I still have some catfish that will not come to the surface for pellets. I can see them swimming frantically below the BG waiting for scraps to make it down to mid water or lower.

I've observed fish eating a pile of pellets on the bottom with an under water camera (while sitting in the boat).

I've laid on the bottom with scuba gear on and had FHM and small BG peck all over my legs and arms looking for something to eat. I've taken feed down in a plastic bottle or baggie and after it soaks up observed fish feeding on it in mid water structure and on the bottom.

In reality, it is my opinion that we would be much better off feeding slowly sinking feed rather than floating feed IF (and it is a big if) we could determine the proper level of feeding. I'm satisfied the only reasons for having floating feed is for our own satisfaction of watching the fish feed AND it gives us the ability to monitor consumption. I really think more fish would get to the feed it is was slowly sinking. I like to feed about 10% of the total feed being a sinking type, but the problem all I can find it in is 32% catfish feed. So lately I have not been using any. But I really like adding in some sinking feed with the floating.

I've noticed the same thing recently with sinking feed.

Had some high quality meat-first kitty treats that the cats refused to eat. They're Standard American Dieters, prefer heavily salted, over-processed GMO corn flake treats. Thought "What the heck. Let's see what the fish think." They LOVED the stuff. Were crashing into each other to get at it. No time for it to sink very far once the gang showed up, but I agree that they seem to prefer "catching" the food as it drifts downward.

Real interesting creatures, aren't they? I could watch 'em half the day.

The floating feed does not seem to float all that long. I see fish nudge is so it floats down a bit then they take it. Some days they boil the surface, some not.

Ditto about the slnking getting quick attention and it seems the fish prefer not to come to the surface. I also feed hydrated feed and get a better response with that. In fact I have fish that get spoiled on the hydrated feed, and don't want the dry feed if I forget to hydrate the feed for the day.

On top of that if I pinch the hydrated feed to get it to sink it is immediately engulfed within two or three feet of the surface regardless of where I drop it off the pier. (I feed off a pier that completely crosses my pond.)


When I had largemouth bass, and fed the oversize bass pellets, the fathead minnows attacked them with gusto as particles freely came off them until they sank.

The main reason we have dried feed whether it be fish feed, dog feed, or rabbit feed is it's easier to store for periods of time that way not that it's so great in that form.

Cecil, my fish act the same when I forego hydration. What worries me, is the fact that I'm about to start in on the last of my Skretting feed...(have been feeding AQ)...ever try and hydrate Skretting? It becomes almost like rubber balls....doesn't want to even crumble up when wet.

Also, when contemplating dry vs. wet, think of the weight. Food would be more expensive if it was wet. It costs $$ to ship and the amount of $$ is usually determined by weight.

Every thread I've read on this forum about feeding has fascinated me, mainly because my observations have been so different to what most of you report. The BGs, YP, and GSF in my pond will not eat any fish pellets. The BGs have mouthed both AM 600 and Skretting feed but then reject it. They no longer will even approach pellets. However, the RBT and BRNT jump all over floating pellets. The several GC do, too.
What these trout and carp will NOT do is take a pellet that starts to sink. I believe this is a result of my having caught and released several of the trout and a few of the carp. I haven't caught all the individuals of each species; the uncaught ones appear to have learned to avoid sinking pellets. What I was doing was wedging a pellet in the bend of an appropriate sized hook. The weight of the hook caused the pellet to sink. This worked for a while but Not No More!
These creatures that hold nearly endless fascination for many of us surely can learn how not to get into trouble, can't they?!

Tony have not tried hydrating Skretting. Perhaps change water to feed ratio?
My new supplier in Ohio is changing over to Zeiglers. Have you tried hydrating Zeiglers? .
Looks like I will be using that until I can get a regular supply of the new feed that we've been talking about.

Good point!

Were the fish that don't respond to the feed reproduced in the pond or from a hatchery source? If reproduced in the pond and you have a good natural feed source that would explain their lack of interest.

And oh yes fish do learn!

Could I ask how your hydrate feed? Sounds interesting to me. I have see the bottom of our pond get all mixed up with the perch fighting over the feed on the bottom of the pond.

Can you feed hydrated feed later into the season? I understand that is why you want to stop feeding later is because of low water content and low fish demand on feed requirements.

I like putting the floating feed into the minnow trap dropping it in and watching the trap disappear with so many shiners pecking at the feed.

Dono, I used to use a gallon ziplock to hydrate feed, but have recently switched to a 2 gallon plastic bucket. It's pretty basic, just add the amount of dry feed first, then enough pond water to allow everything to become mixed well. I let it sit for 10-15 minutes, then mix it up and let it sit another few minutes. The temp. plays a big role in determining how long to let it hydrate. The warmer it is, the faster it will soften. I want to have the feed remain in pellet form, but be soft throughout. Not a mushy paste.

Various feed brands and formulations will hydrate differently. The newer AQ from this year takes longer than the same AQ from last year, the Skretting is a nightmare to work with, and that awesome Optimal feed hydrates easily. My gripe with hydrating feed is the same issue I have with mechanical feeders...that being the inability to adjust and compensate amounts from day-to-day. Feeding dry by hand is both easy and efficient. You're able to let the fish tell you what (how much) they want. But hydrating requires a little more commitment to a specific amount, unless you can keep hydrated feed over until the next day, (too much) or are willing and able to spend additional time waiting for another batch to soften (too little).

Cecil, I have not fed Zeigler's products, and I'm curious how they work out for you. I will be switching to Optimal full time next season, even if it means running north with the trailer for a pallet at a time.

There's an idea? Keep that in mind my fellow southern Indiana pondmeisters...if I make a feed run I would be glad to haul back some extra.

Gallon zip lock bag or gallon ice cream container and add a ratio of 1 part water to three parts feed. Unlike Tony I mix right away and keep the feed moving for the first few minutes. Then after that I let it sit for a couple of hours to allow the water to penetrate to the center of the pellet.

I refrigerate the excess Aquamax for up to 2 or 3 days. After that it gets moldy and needs to be disarded. The new feed seems to last indefinitely in the fridge without getting moldy. However if you forget to refrigerate it gets sour smelling. Then I won't feed it to the fish.

Interesting discussion. My BG, RES, FHM, GSH all eat pellets. The LMB come ambush. They have eaten floaters all their life. I recently got some SouthFresh Game Fish Feed. New to me, but I was in AL and called around. It is 35% protein, 2.5% fat and 50 float/50 sink. It was only $18/bag, so I figured I'd be generous when I introduced it. They went after floaters. I went back a cpl hrs later and there were still pellets in the BG beds on the bottom, ~1 ft deep (yes 5" BG spawn, have fry pics to prove it). The next feeder time, they went after the usual AQ still leaving the new stuff on the bottom. It was gone the next morning, but definitely lower on the preference. Could be all the newness- both feed type and sinkers.

This past weekend, I noticed a marked decline with regards to the ingestion of pellet feed. As mentioned earlier in this thread, I was throwing 8 seconds a day twice daily and an extra 5 seconds just before dusk. I don't know if its the slightly cooler water temperatures or what, but the fish seem to be slowing down. I noticed uneaten pellets during after the morning and evening dispersion. So, I backed the feeder down to 5 seconds per throw. Is anyone else experiencing this decline in feeding yet?

IMHO The weather has everything screwed up. I have trees changing colors! My CC are still showing up at dinner time but the SF are slow to feed. I find that strange as my CC normally prefer the warm water with SF hitting the feed earlier in the spring before the water warms. This weeks forecast is back to the 90s. Should be interesting.....