Great thread. If the water temperature is 45F or above and the fish regardless of the species are willing to eat floating pellets then giving the fish some or a reduced amount of food would IMO be okay. This does at least two things. 1. It keeps the fish better habituated to pellet food. 2. I keeps the fish eating and maintaining their weight or even gaining some weight. A fish that stops actively feeding below 50F has to rely on body fat for nutrition which often means using some body biomass for energy and life processes(see below). Reduced feeding does usually occur in many species during winter water temps of 39-45F depending on water temps. In many ponds with fish biomass at near or above carrying capacity natural foods are usually limited numbers (density) due to the large number of grazers (consumers). Most all ponds that receive fish pellets have fish biomass above normal carrying capacity which means high inter and intra competition. Thus not a lot of natural foods are readily available during the cold water months when fish are crowded. Vulnerable prey items quickly disappear.
When I researched winter fish behavior during cold water temperatures under ice cover for overwintering fish in cages, one reference noted that fish do not need to actively feed or do not need to feed during winter months to stay alive. The reference noted that many fish in 39F water do not have to feed and can absorb enough minerals from the surrounding water to stay alive and healthy until water warms in spring. This assumes dissolved oxygen remains adequate for fish survival.
Several studies have noted that non-feeding fish in winter will loose weight after utilizing fat reserves. Some fish will even utilize body protein for energy production when fat reserves are depleted. When the fish resumes feeding all lost body mass has to be replaced before weight is added to the fish's body condition (weight and growth) prior to when feeding stopped. Anything that the fish can 'safely' eat during cold water conditions will allow more top end growth before it dies. As noted during cold water temperatures, some types of pellet foods might be detrimental to some fish species depending on the fish species and the water temperature.
Last edited by Bill Cody; 12/16/14 02:35 PM.
