Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Feeding Feeding in my backyard community lake

Couldn't find anything using the search function....
New to this...
We just bought a home in a community with a 10 acre pond in our back yard.... lucky me, yes!!

Anyway, the ducks here are on steroids and the navy flotilla now comes at me at 50 mph every time i step in the back yard.... they love my Sportsman's Choice floating fish food.....
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I haven't found any sinking food locally, so I am looking for suggestions for a cheap food to buy online.

Pond is 10 acres. We live at one end of a long rectangle.
We have bass to 10 pounds. Channel cats too.
Tons of small bream and a good population of crappie as well.

According to the neighbors who fish a LOT.... the pond is extremely well stocked. Maybe even over populated.
I am sure the fish share in all of the bread that some people are throwing for the ducks....
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***Mostly looking to keep a good population of fish in the area so the kids can have success fishing from the yard or when we don't take the small boat out. quantity over quality is the goal.... as the fish dont need the nutrition, i just want to create a dinner bell by the house

Sorry for the long post.

edited to add: i dont have a feeder yet so i will hand feed for now.
after we build a dock i will hide a feeder there.

also. there is very little vegetation here(someone must have put in some grass carp). so a good clay bottom is where we will throw the food.

Welcome to PB. Why not just buy sinking feed to foil the flyng toilets?

can you recommend a cheap brand? tractor supply doesnt have a sinking variety
i hate to have to pay shipping... still trying some feed stores

Try something like a Farmers Coop or other feed stores. The sinking pellets can often be made in a local feed mill.

will keep looking

At our local COOP, their retail store only stocks the floating 32% feed. I have to go to the elevator where the feed mill is (where farmers would pick up large orders of feed) and there they have both floating and sinking 32%.

Wish they stocked something other than the catfish food though.

is duck season fun on your lake??

some people on this forum make their own sinking food by soaking the pellets in water overnight. IIRC, someone recently posted that they fill a one gallon bag of purina aquamax 600, then add some water and seal the bag up and leave it overnight. I suspect that you could overdo it with the water and turn the pellets into a mash, though.

The difference in the floating and non floating feed I have found is the fat content. Have your protein around or above 40% and a 20% fat. It will sink.

Cheers Don.

Don is right.. We feed Cargil 42% protein and i noticed some of ours sinks.. Now, we still have a bunch on top of the water but some does indeed sink..

one local place said they might can order it.... waiting to hear back

using purina website i did find a dealer listed that isnt too far away.


i might experiment with the water thing. that is a good idea.
because i would like bass and bream to enjoy as well......

thanks everyone

I'd suggest checking with your AOAO before buying a fish feeder. Since its a community lake, there may be rules about what you can and cannot do.