I’ve seen that throwing feed into a cage with 1/2-3/4” mesh will attract small BG and then grow them to the point they can’t escape the cage. I’ve been considering using a consistent feeding of small sinking pellets in a cage in an attempt to train and then capture RES that are in my pond (no BG present). Just looking for thoughts and discussion on this subject/process.

I wonder if placing the cage in a place that it is bottomed yet still accessible would help with RES being more of a bottom dweller??
I caught probably close to 100+/- in 2 traps I set just to sample with. 1-2" fish in august I believe it was, maybe a tad earlier, don't remember exact time frame.

Thanks Snipe, that is why I post thoughts like this so that I can get feedback and ideas. I hadn't considered putting it on the bottom. I've got a place on my dock approach that will work perfect for that.

I've had success catching them in my small fyke net also. What I'm hoping to do here that is different is catch the ones that are feed trained. I also have SMB in this pond so there's a possibility they will feed train. BUT..... I have a fairly strong feeling I'll just end up feeding my fatheads. LOL

I have thought some on this subject but never implemented anything. Our traveling seems to get in the way of my pond management, but I am not complaining.

My suggestions.

Put shade in the cage.

Put a "feed tube" down into the cage where sinking (or pre-soaked) feed could settle down to a feeding plate under the shade. Give the RES a preferred environment to eat, a known place for them to return to eat. Then you could just drop feed into the feed tube (2" PVC drain pipe perhaps?) and it would go to the desired location without the wind or otherwise drifting off.

I'm pretty sure when I had RES in my forage pond they knew the feeding bell and at least some of them came to it. Because I could feed the FHM and GSH just before sunset and if I then threw a cast net would get numerous RES in the catch. Without the feeding I would get fewer RES.

I do not know if the RES were actually eating some of the food that made it to the bottom (the minnows could not swallow the pellets so some surely soaked up and sank before being fully consumed) or if they were just attracted to the feeding activity of the minnows (or perhaps feeding on the smaller minnows) but there appeared to be more RES attracted to the side of the pond I fed on at the time of the feeding.

Added this thread to the RES links page

Hmmmm...... I like the thought of adding some form of 'bottom' to the cage so the pellets settle.

I think I read somewhere that adding a few bg in with the res might teach them to respond to the feed. I have caught young res in minnow traps that sat on the pond bottom so I know they were attracted to the mvp that I used in the trap. But I have not ever trained any fish to eat any feed. I do think I have some lmb that have feed trained themselves, maybe because I have some feed trained lmb in the pond. And Maybe the young lmb watched and learned from the trained lmb

I definitely had some LMB that self trained.

Well maybe that is not true. I had several LMB that got used to me cutting the tails off small GSF and feeding them. So maybe that helped them transition to pellets the next year when I put the feeder in.

I have some LMB that I can feed wit Optimal Hand Throw and they just lap it up like they making layups in basketball. Smooth. The SMB get in on it too. Till the CC show up then they kind of take over the show.

I believe ewest or maybe esshup had placed a "plate" to stop feed and keep it in a position that was available to RES.. Good idea, snrub.

Yes I have suspended a tin plate (old roof tin) under the feeding area so feed will sink to it and the RES can find it. I do have some few RES who eat right along with the BG at the surface. I wonder if they think the crunchy pellets are snails.

Very interesting ewest. This info could be a game changer for me. I'll chronicle this once I get started at ice out.

I may actually set up two cages and feeders. One where I have a feed tray below and one without. Ideally I’d like to capture those that are more prone to feed without it settling like a BG. I think eventually they’ll take to floating feed better. But I also just want to compare and contrast the results.