I plan to stock 200 lb of RBT, mixed sizes from 4 to 8 inches, in my BOW now that the water has cooled.

Never done this before so am a little nervous about making mistakes. So I have two questions for those more expert on the subject.

First, what kind of fish feed is recommended for RBT? Will Aqua Max or Optimal BG feed work okay? I'm sure the trout are already feed trained, want to make the transition as smooth as possible.

Second, should I alter feeding schedule to earlier, cooler hours of the day? If we get a warm spell I could see surface temps rising into 70s in Feb or March, at least in the late afternoon. Won't such temps risk killing the trout if they rise to feed? I'm thinking maybe 10 or 11am might reduce the risk.

Of course, just for additional complexity I'm hoping at least some CNBG will keep feeding, too.

Frank, I have some interest in doing the same at my place. But I am concerned it could put me in a predator heavy position as they grow larger. Another thing that has kept me from adding the trout is the cost verses the benefit? Not sure how many to add per acre because for me it would be about forage for the lmb and not so much about fishing for the trout. I'm not sure what the cost would be to add enough rbt to make a difference in lmb growth. How did you determine how many to add per acre? I am betting you have done the research. Maybe you can give an estimate in the cost per acre? And maybe you can keep us informed on what you see after adding them? And Thanks for posting this up.

Tracy, I admit the cost/benefit of RBT stocking isn't as clearly good as it is for TP or even TFS. RBT won't reproduce and they die in the spring.

But there is a big plus in terms of winter forage for LMB and HSB at a time when TP are gone. If RBT take to feed vigorously, as I hope, when CNBG activity dies down, then the feed will continue growing forage for LMB during cold months. At least, that's my hope. And maybe sluggish RBT in April/May, due to warm water, will reduce LMB pressure on CNBG and TP then.

RBT are pricey, though. Will report on results when I get them!

anthropic, you asked:

First, what kind of fish feed is recommended for RBT? Will Aqua Max or Optimal BG feed work okay?

I keep some trout year round in my pond. At least for the rainbows, I've found they take Aquamax, Skretting, or Optimal BG equally well. But, if I cook and eat any of them, they taste far better when fed the Optimal.

I asked Dustin of Optimal similar questions to those you posted. His take on it was that the BG is perfectly fine for them. Aquaculturists raising trout for market might benefit from a special feed for absolute maximum rates of growth; my trout will be fine eating BG. An added bonus for my fish is that the Optimal is better suited for the rest of the fish in my pond than a specialized trout food would be.

Thanks! That info does help me assess. I've never fished RBT except flyfishing in western rivers, good fighters in that environment. Taste does matter.