Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Feeding An Epiphany of Feeding

It was one of those defining moments when the path to a dream is realized.

You have to understand two bits of background. First, in addition to growing big Lepomis, one of my goals for my pond is to be able to eat BG for dinner once every week (in season, at least). Second, I fed fish for 2 1/2 years before ANY BG showed up to start taking pellets (nearly 2 years ago in June).

I HAD LIKE 300 DECENT SIZED BG SHOW UP AND FEAST ON GAME FISH CHOW TONIGHT! That's like 4-5 times as many as I've ever seen eating before. From beginning eatin' sized up to a small number bigger than my hand (that's what L. macrochirus is all about!). For a year I've been feeding for 50 feet or so on each side of the feedring, when low/no wind permits. Tonight, on the left (deep water) side, the BG just kept coming . I fed for another 150 or so feet of shoreline, and ran out of feed before I ran out of BG. I've had dreams like this. Wow!

Now I can work on thinning out the smaller eaters and the females (thank you, Dr. Condello and the members of the BG Sexing Society), like, all the time. I might even approach that once a week BG dinner this year!

Life is Good.

Now that's exciting.!

I was on cloud nine last night too. I was standing between two ponds, Cecil and I moving from one pond to another. Shorty and Bill Cody talking about aquatic veggies, and big bluegill slappin' pellets on each pond.

Life is good. May is good.

Thanks for sharing Theo. It's not like having children or getting married, but it is certainly a defining moment. You are fortunate in the experience and that you have so many fine friends who understand exactly what you are feeling to share it with.

Good stuff Theo. I can't wait until that happens in my pond.

It's almost as though most of your feeding BG were inhibited from feeding at the surface, then reached some sort of critical mass. Or perhaps they were following 1 or more "leaders" that suddenly started feeding aggressively at the surface.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

It's so easy a Pond Boss can do it.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Theo, my most rewarding pond moments are watching our fish at the feeders.
It’s an awesome sight!

At feeding time they will be gathered “at the table” waiting for the dinner bell to ring.
Sheer feeding frenzy – smaller BG’s close in - dominant gill’s midrange, and HSB outer edges of feed pattern.
Then CC eating feed washed near shore.

I don’t see tilapia feeding as some of forum members have observed.
The only thing I can think of is the aggressive feeding scares them off.
I would catch them on my “secret” fly if they were present.

Life is REALLY Good

My bluegill seem to really eating good. Maybe to good, I dont even know if they know how to look for natural food.

The HSB I know show up every night to eat.

I got a few large mouth that show up to see whats going on but they just lurk.

I hope the new Tilapia dont start eating, since I want them to eat the FA.

The catfish have been somewhat shy this year so far, last year they were total pigs. Swimming around with there mouths open shovoling as many as they could in there mouths.

The trout is a sight. There basically nuts. They eat in a total frenzy, smashing into one another, knocking bluegill right out of the water. There the bullys untill a HSB knocks one out the way going for a pellet.

The surface water is 71-75 and the trout are still looking good. Hope the areator and the springs keep them alive a while longer.

Theo contemplate FOF. :p

Fun Of Feeding
Feed Our Fish
Fish On Feed
Frenzy of Feeding
Full Of Feed
Fish Oil Formula
Fat On Feed
Fish Observation Fun
Forage On Feed
For Our Friends

I think I will stop there.

I know the feeling. I was lucky to have regular BG feeding frenzies starting the first spring after stocking my fish. My hatchery raised my fish in a natural pond with no supplemental feed but they claimed they spent the time to feed train before delivery. Based on others experiences I think they did. I enjoy the heck out of sitting down on the dock every evening and seeing the BG feed. My goal was a meal a week and I have been doing that for about 3 years now. Pond life is great! Hope you reach your goal Theo.

It's very satisfying to see the fruits (or fishes) of your efforts. I hand feed too and enjoy it so much that it's kept me from buying a feeder. I've been lucky and mine have been eating all along. The best part for me is watching the LMB swipe small bluegill that are distracted by the pellets. I have noticed though that the largest bluegills are seldom seen eating the pellets. They lurk just below where I can see them. I know this because I catch them on the pellet dough bait about 3' down...if I can get it past the little ones that is.

From studying Lepomis eating floating foods in a tank, I think the largest sunnies get a lot of pellets that smaller fish bring down from the surface, either by grabbing lost pellets or by stealing them outright.

I've noticed that during the day when the UV index is on the high side and the sun is shinning brightly I will see mostly small & medium size BG taking pellets. The larger BG are usually under the dock or in the weeds in the shade and won't come out from the comfort of the shade until the sun starts to go down.

thats been a real escape for me lately, i've been so tickled my BG started almost immediately taking feed (thanks Sunil)

the daily church revival session now inlcudes two year classes of green sunnies, >500 small to medium BG (up to 6"), mosquito fish (they like the powder residuum from crushing), a pond turtle, and a flock of redwing blackbirds.

Meanwhile bullfrogs, lunker GSF, and the RES look on but dont take part, in fact the RES make a point of letting you know they are there, and then swim away as if not to be bothered which such silliness.

The funniest and most rewarding aspect of the daily event is the eager faces and wagging tails of the BG sitting in the same spot at the same time every evening. I can practically reach in pull them out by hand they are so tame. As i walk a short 100 foot stretch distributing food, they follow me back and forth, its crazy to see the wakes they make.

GOOD SHOW THEO! Life is indeed good.

DIED buy a few sinking pellets . Just after you throw in the regular pellets and the swarm starts then throw in a few sinking pellets over the RES. Report back what you see.

If he's cracking/crushing feed, I bet a % of the partials sink now.

he's cracking feed, and a % does sink. i just came back in from a voracious feeding and something strange happened tonight...i believe one or two of the 20 or so lunker GSF in the pond were nailing larger pellets tonight (either that or small unaware BG pecking at the pellets). I'll be watching more for this.....i did not see any RES this evening.

i was going to try having the local feed store order smaller pellet aquamax for me, but my crushing pellets by the shore in a old aluminum cook pan with a rubber mallet acts to attract the fish, and i dont really mind it, and some of them sink, so i'll probably just stay status quo, let'em fend for themselves. the turtle ate good tonight too, hope it dont kill him.

As long as your pellets don't contain any Trans fats the turtle should be OK.

DIED you will soon observe that the turtle has morphed into a submersible pig. No trans fat in GFC but has fish oil , plant protein and vitamins to make his shell hard and keep his cholesterol low.