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I stocked a few pellet trained LMB this Spring @ about 12" long. I just recently noticed that they are eating AquaMax 600 pellets, so I bought a bag of LMB pellets. I'll hand feed them because I don't think there are enough pellet eating bass to justify a dedicated feeder.

What size LMB will normally eat the LMB pellets? I tossed one in right before the feeder was due to go off and one of the LMB's scarfed it down, but about 5 seconds later it floated up. I tossed in the other 5 or 6 pellets that I had, and none of the LMB ate a one. They bypassed them to eat the AquaMax 600 pellets.

With 4 pellet trained LMB in the pond, all 12"-13" long, how many LMB pellets should I throw in, how many times a day? I'm currently feeding AquaMax 600 in a ADF75 feeder, set to feed @ 7:00 a.m., Noon and 6:00 p.m. I have the feeder set on 1 sec duration, fan on high. At that setting there is still food floating (although not much) 15 minutes after the feeder goes off. BG, CC, GSH, LMB are in the pond, all from the "wild" with the exception of the CC and 4 pellet trained LMB. I'm wondering if getting some Condello strain BG would help. There are BG in the pond at least 10" long so they are large enough to eat the 600. They don't seem to be feeding agressivly, just slowly gliding up and picking off a pellet here and there. The CC in the pond aren't feeding agressively enough to chase the BG away, so I don't know why they aren't eating like some of the CNBG that I've seen at a feeder.


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IME 12"-13" is right at the lower limit of LMB sizes that eat Aquamax Largemouth pellets. That size of bass does pretty well growing on AM 600.

Like you, I have seen some bass take a Largemouth pellet and then let it go. Some of the ones I have had do this were clearly big enough to swallow it, so it moust be something about the larger pellet they don't like or are unfamiliar with. They seem to prefer 500/600.

In general, fish are most inclined to take pellets when they are hungry. BG and CC are pretty good pellet feeders, so I suspect yours either aren't real hungry (especially the CC) or could benefit from a feed trained fish of the same species to give an example (especially the BG). But both of these fish should figure it out on their own, given time.

I might try NOT feeding the 600 to the LMB for a little while, and see if they start swallowing the Largemouth pellets. If not, return to the 600 and let them grow a while.

If they get to eating the big pellets well, I'd give them as many as they eat. That size bass may not want more than 2 or 3. I think LMB would probably benefit from 2 feedings a day, if they were spaced out in time.

Last edited by Theo Gallus; 07/15/09 07:37 AM. Reason: sp.

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Theo:

If I'm reading your response correctly, are you suggesting that I stop feeding 600 for a bit and only try the LMB food? I don't have a problem with that, I just needed to clarify things.


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Scott,

If that is what Theo is saying i agree with him. Stop feeding the 600 and only give them the choice of the bigger one, or don't feed them at all for a few days and then the larger feed. They may be temporarily not interested due to the different taste too. I've seen this happen with changing feed brands.

Case in point: This spring I switched my trout from once a day evening feeding to once a day in the morning. Many were reluctant to make the change. To get them to make the change faster I starved them for a few days. Worked like a charm.


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I agree in part with Theo and Cecil. I agree that stopping feeding the LMB may well get them to eat the big pellets and that LMB under 12 inches eat 600 better than LMB pellets. IMO the cut off on LMB eating LMB pellets is about 12 inches ( much under 12 inches not so good , over 12 inches much better). Over 12 inches LMB pellets are much better energetically for LMB than 600 ( less wasted energy and more efficient).

However , I would not stop feeding my BG and smaller LMB just to get the big ones to eat LMB pellets. I would keep feeding 600 and when those few LMB get a little bigger I would try the LMB pellets again. When they start fall gorging I bet they will eat the big pellets.
















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 Originally Posted By: esshup
Theo:

If I'm reading your response correctly, are you suggesting that I stop feeding 600 for a bit and only try the LMB food? I don't have a problem with that, I just needed to clarify things.

Yes.


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Thanks guys. I think I'll stop feeding 600 for a few days and in that time I'll throw out half a dozen LMB pellets when the feeder normally would go off. If the LMB don't eat any by the weekend, I'll fire up the feeder. Heck, the BG should eat the LMB pellets after they get soft, and it might make them realize what they're missing.

Report to follow!


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I always have a few BG trying to eat the Largemouth pellets.

My goal is to one day grow BG that CAN eat the Largemouth pellets, whole!


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I expect at some point the bluegill will begin bringing a small pocketknife to feeding time for pellet size modification.

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Yea I find my 6-12" LMB love the AQMX 500. I think I've had at least 15 of them grow 2-4" over a three month period. Now the bass have massive bellies and I am starting to see the smaller ones from the beginning of the season move in take pellets and the larger ones starting to school with larger fish. Where they sit and ambush the BG, Pumpkinseed and GS after feeding.

If I didn't know better, from this forum, I would think LMB thrive on pellet feed. My pond would be screwed w/out the pellets as I added my 5-7" bass to an already established sunfish only pond last year. So without the supplemental feeding via pellets my LMB wouldn't of grown large enough to prey on the forage.




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Update:

I'm back to the 600. The LMB still continue to grab the bigger pellets and spit them back out. The CC will grab a few, and the BG bring their hammers and chisels and whittle them down to size once they soften a bit.

They were slightly more eager to chow down on the 600 yesterday, but they are back to their old ways today, and the LMB are eating the 600. I guess I'll wait a month or so and try it again.


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I can't get the 600 by the catfish. The bass get very few.


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Good conversations guys. So, in my situation, with 3-5" BG, 2" RES, and 35 adult RES/BG added last fall, and now putting in 20 7-10" LMB, I am feeding AquaMax 400. Is this ok, or should I get the 500. REALLLLLY new at this feeding thingy. Thanks for the advice.

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Why not mix them so you have different sizes for all the fish.
















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ewest, done. I just ordered one bag of each to try this alternative. I can't really tell if my bass have started on the pellets yet. With the exception of ONE, they have only been in the pond less than a month. Bout how long does it take for them catch on, provided they don't all ride the short bus?

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Unless pellet trained from a young age, it is extremely variable. Some pond owners report untrained bass learn easily on their own. Others can't get their bass to eat pellets. Much of it depends on how hungry the bass are. If they have plentiful natural forage, they're less likely to take pellets, whereas if they're starving they may get desperate...

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None of mine were eating pellets previously. This year just for the heck of it, I stocked 4 adult (1 1/4# each) pellet trained LMB. Those guys seem to be the only ones eating any pellets. I "feed trained" a few LMB 2 years ago by catching some 3"-4" BG when the feeder went off, and slipped a small hook into their tail so I could dangle them just in the water at the feeder. The LMB learned really quick about the free meal, and they'd jump out of the water to get to the BG as I was lowering it down. I'd give a quick yank on the line to pull the hook out of the BG so I wouldn't hook one of the LMB's.


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