Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Things I learned researching YP feeding on the web

Things I learned while researching YP feeding on the web:

1. Bill Cody really is "Dr. Perca"

2. Dr. Dave Willis is ubiquitous

3. Nate Herman writes far better than his high school English teachers ever thought he would, but has never learned how to smile.

Things I didn't learn while researching YP feeding on the web:

1. What the lower temp limit for YP feeding on pelleted fish food?

I think there's a big difference in what I observe on YP pellet feeding when it comes to sinking versus floating feed.

In the past I've been able to get YP to eat pelleted sinking feed during the winter in water temps well down into the 30's.

But when it comes to pelleted floating feed, I really haven't observed much feeding when water temps are below 50 degrees.

Of course my experience is limited compared to Dr. Perca or Cecil or Dr. Dave, but I sees what I sees.

I have a handful of yellow perch experiments going down and they seem to just be unpredictable in regards to eating pellets. Some days they love 'em, some days they wont touch 'em, and some days they cant make up their minds? I do have to mention that in several ponds, my perch populations are 97% female.

English was by far my weakest subject in school, I got my only 'B' in 5th grade handwriting.

As far as never smiling, I was severely obese as a child and learned to stop smiling altogether due to everyone making fun of my "cute" double chin.........just kiddin' I made that part up, anyhow I really am not an angry person and thought I had been doing better lately showing off the pearly whites?

One word answer - cold - I would guess mid 30s.

It never looks angry, Nate, just ... serious.

How does one maintain over any meaningful period of time a population of 98% female YP?

I manage several ponds that larger female only perch have been stocked, and have not had any successful reproduction observed to date? I cant tell you exactly how to do it, since I really wasnt planning on them not spawning at all, but some suggestions would be to keep the pond clear of any suitable place for the perch to lay their eggs and keep the pond full of predators.

Or you can also do what Bill Cody does among other things to keep successful reproduction of perch down. He places branches along the edge of his pond to provide a place for the females to entwine their eggs. He then walks the pond daily and removes those eggs. One won't get them all that way, but he wants some reproduction, just not a lot. Bill does an excellent job of not only allowing his perch to reproduce on a limited basis but consistently has large perch to harvest.

Theo - we have a tongue-in-cheek nickname for green sunfish around here. Lepomis ubiquitous. They're everywhere.

Careful there Doctor Dave, that's getting very close to heretical blasphemy.

Now, JHAP, don't get sensitive. I purposely put down no implications of that wide range. You might be a tad bit sensitive, if you assumed that ubiquitous was bad?? Humor!

Ok, but I've got my eye on you.

JHAP -- I can live with that. I use that "n" key a lot, though.

By the way, my biggest GSF of life was a 1.5 (honest) pounder from an old strip pit (coal mines) down in KS. It was a beauty! The dorsal and anal fin almost made it back to the caudal fin. Caught it on a topwater (small floating Rapala, just twitching it on the surface). Released him (pretty sure it was a male), of course.

A 1.5 pound GSF is a nice one! I would have liked to have seen that! And you released him to breed and prosper!

That story brings a tear to my eye.

......and a tear to the owner of that pond!

Better take cover Nate... The GSA is VERY angry now!

N8ly - was the only B the highest grade or lowest?

My experience with YP feeding and water temperature is very similar to what Bruce posted. When water drops below 50 surface feeding essentially stops - exceptions do occur. When water goes higher than 80F in mid-summer the larger perch tend to go off feed. YP raisers tell me YP with ample food can have all the fat they need for making eggs and reproducing by sometime in July. Thus in mid summer YP can go off feed due to having high fat reserves. Water temps greater than high 80's will also put larger YP off feed. Actively feeding YP in Jul-Aug, late summer and fall are still develping needed fat reserves. IMO and experiences adult YP are more heat intolerant than SMB or walleye.

I regularly feed my YP during ice cover. For fun on a winter day, I go out drill a hole make a little noise under water and drop softened rolled pellets down the ice hole. Initially I watch them feed with the depth finder. Within a short time, I get YP coming to within 2-4 ft of the ice for the sinking pellets. I once had a YP come to the ice hole and peck at the transducer of the depth finder. She probably thought it was a big soft fish pellet.

Good stuff Bill... Maybe Aaron M will be raising YP in the desert of AZ next! Besides the temp, do larger YP also need more DO as compared to their smaller kin?

I can't speak for Bill but my guess is a little more due to their size but still less than a lot of other species.

Well Cecil, I'd say you have just a hair bit of experience with YP... You may know a thing or two about them! HAHA

Hair is something that Jeff has very little recent experience with.

Whatever happened to Aaron? Where's he been?

B in handwriting? I don't think anyone ever thought that I deserved a B. I still have a childish scrawl. Actually, I think it was 4th grade teacher who noted that I couldn't draw a straight line even with a ruler.

I hate the word obese. I prefer comfortable looking. Or maybe ex Luskish. BTW, got a call from Lusk the other day. He's still losing weight.

...goin' for that narrow fusiform look

Bill,
Now that is some real good info about yellow perch feeding!!!
Its kind of like a song thats stuck in my head, now I cant think about anything else, except for figuring out how I am going to feed yellow perch this winter!!

The big ones have stopped feeding in my cage, but they still look real good and I couldnt figure it out?

As far as the "B" goes, I used a somewhat photographic memory to make it through school without ever studying a lick. Justin, was much smarter than I though, cause he figured out how to graduate high school just 2 months after getting his drivers license. I would rarely miss a question throughout the coarse of a semester in subjects like math, science, history. English on the other hand I had to actually work at and computers I was light years behind my peers. Those subjects I have been bound and determined to get figured out ever since graduating. As far as college education goes, I dropped out twice but still maintained a 4.0. I just couldnt sit back in class at 10 mph when the world around me was moving 100.

I chatted breifly with AaronM a week or two ago wondering where he'd been. He is super busy with work! I guess being the owner of a muti-state business is not nearly as care-free as it's cracked up to be. BTW, he IS planning on being at the Conference.

I agree being overcome with happiness and awe struck at the magnificence a spectular GSF can do that to a person.