In the winter of 2014, I kept close to 100 7"-8" CNBG in a 5X5' cage in my brood pond. These fish ate hardily, and fed every day there wasn't ice on the pond. The CNBG adjacent to the cage didn't eat enough of the floating pellets to even warrant daily hand feedings. When these caged CNBG were checked in the spring of 2015, they visually had not grown any more than those that were uncaged.

During the winter, I shot the water temps at the surface and 3" down in the cage where the CNBG resided. The temp was less than 1 degree different at that distance. My WAG is that the similar temps were the reason these fish ate. They did not have to rise out of their comfort zone to eat, and the crowding could have kicked the competition level up also. Just guesses though.

I can't speak for any other fish, but mine didn't seem to show any improvement from feeding until the water temp started getting closer to 60 degrees. That's why I just throw 1 second a day. It's to help keep the CNBG in the area that I want in the spring. I use my feeder as a location tool, as much as a nutrition tool.

AL