Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Feeding feeding trout

This is a question for you trout guys and gals. What are the best trout pellets available on the market. I'm sure it's a matter of opinion, but any help would be appreciated.

I've just stocked a dozen or so rainbows in my small pond an it is a little early for most of the natural food, mayflies and tadpoles. I'd like to give them a boost in nutrition until they get used to foraging for themselves.

They just came out of the hatchery so they are used to pellets. Will they find them if I just throw a hand full into the center of the pond, or will it take awhile for them to find the pellets?

Scruffy, it seems most people use aquamax from purina, but you might ask the hatchery what they use and stick to that.
If their hungry they won't have any trouble finding floating pellets.

I did ask, and they get their feed out of Maine in bulk. I'm looking for some supplement food until the trout get used to foraging. That being said, I just came in from the pond and a saw a couple of trout working the shore line looking for food. BTW it is raining like you suggested it would in another post.

I'm going back to the hatchery and see if I can buy a couple of pounds of food from them. I'll also inquire about the tigers you a getting for your pond. Are they warm water tolerant trout?

I use the same AquaMax that I feed during the summer - AM600 for RBT 10"+. Since October they've gained a couple of inches and 1/2#.

Scruffy,

These sound like pets, which is kind of what I consider ours. For that small quantity of fish, which probably aren't going to be used to set lunker records, I'd just go to the local feed store and buy the smallest pellets they sell. Even the general purpose pond pellets they sell at Tractor Supply would do.

For our family, feeding is the most enjoyable part of having trout in the pond. They all seem to have vision issues and Walter Mitty personalities. They attack some of the pellets as though they are flying insects that are well above the water. They attack others like they are fast moving prey. They dance on their tails, and bellyflop back into the pond.

We've found the trout are not at all fussy about what kind of pellets they eat. Heck, they'll even eat dropped bits of cookies from my granddaughter.

Good luck,
Ken

Scruffy - I like your idea of going back to the hatchery and buying some of their bulk pellets. That food is designed to grow good fish or the hatchery would not be using it for creating a profit growing fish. Plus it will be the correct size. While at the hatchery maybe ask for a separate small amount (abt 10 lbs) of the next size larger pellet. Your fish will grow fast and then do better on a larger pellet.

Cat,
I quess you are correct, my trout are sort of like pets. It didn't start out that way, but after losing them for a couple of years because of the high water temps in summer, any that make it I really appreciate.

I don't stock heavily because I don't want to see a high mortality during the summer. This will be the first year I had winter over fish, PS and trout. I think it's because of all the rain we had last spring and that my pond is starting to mature.

This will be also the first year I'll be feeding them pellets. The pond has supplied a lot of natural food in the past, but I also stocked earlier this year and some of the insects and tadpoles haven't shown yet.

Bill,
I like your idea of asking for some larger pellets also, I'm not sure they will have them, but I'll ask. I only hope they will sell me soon.

Tiger trout are more tolerant of warm water low DO than both brook trout and rainbow trout. They are almost as tolerant as brown trout. The difference is they will be much easier to catch than brown trout are! Beware though, tiger trout are very piscavorous and will gladly eat any fish swimming around in your pond they can fit in their mouths. I think that is why they like AP's pond so much, lots of GSH to chow down on!

Scruffy since you don't have many trout, getting a small amount of pellets from the hatchery will save you money instead of buying a 50 lb bag.
Tiger trout are from a male brook and female brown and the ones I had 2 years ago grew well and are probably tolerant of temps similar to Rainbows.

CJ is definitely right, Tigers attack anything that moves and they are easier to catch than any of the other trout species.

I see no logical reason the hathery where you bought the fish would not sell you some of their bulk pellets. Selling you a few pounds of pellets is just very good customer relations. They should have suggested it to you when you bought your fish.

The hatchery I buy my trout from in PA feeds their fish a local brand of pellet. They were more than willing to sell me some pellets but I decided not to feed again this year. Like Bill said, it's good customer relations and they probably make a bit of a profit off the endeavor to boot...

Feeding update:

Stopped by the hatchery today and picked up a two gallon pail full of 1/8 dia. pellets. When I arrived home mid day, I went to the pond and saw the trout feeding. There was a mayfly hatch going on and some of the trout were actively feeding on the emergers and nymphs. I'm now trying to identify the mayfly species that emerge at this time of year in ponds. The dun looks like a Hendrickson, but they are usually running water mayflies?

I saw a few PS at the shore edge and I tossed them a few pellets, which they took, to my surprise. I then tossed a few pellets to the feeding trout and within 10 minutes there was a feeding frenzy going on. I only used about a handful, not wanting to take their minds off the hatch that was going on.

While at the hatchery I also inquired about tiger trout. They said they occasionally have them mixed in with the other trout but don't specifically raise them. I asked that if they come across a few I would like buy them.

Sounds like you have some happy fish, keep that water level up.
I also had some kind of hatch going on but not being an entomologist I don't know what they were, but the trout were sure making use of them.

Since I've had the pond I have noticed several different types of water born insects. I've been a flyfisher since my yougth and have a couple of books on entomology, caddis flies, mayflies, and stoneflies. All of which are related to moving water.

So far this year I've seen the the little blackstone fly which is usually the first to appear in early spring. Then the mayfly that looks a lot like the Hendrickson. I'm going to look around for a book that lists the pond insects so I can identify what is hatching and when to expect them.

I did try a couple of years ago to stock the green drake from a local stream, but it didn't take last year, but they maybe a two year nymphal stage?

I finaly an confident that I have identifed the mayfly that has been hatching in my pond. I beleive it is a BWO (blue wing olive), early in the season they are at the largest size and as time goes into summer they get smaller.

Ths is the spinner, after the transformation and into the egg laying stage.

One of the best if not the best trout hatchery, world class, in my parts prefer Silver Cup or Rangen for trout. They say Purina just does not measure up to them as far as trout feed.