Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Evaluating and adjusting fish populations Brook Trout again

1/2 acre pond, 12 feet deep, western N.Y. Stocked last year with 2-3 “ brook trout, crabs, snails, clams and fathead minnows.

Trout are doing very well and I have some that must be close to fifteen inches.
I have been feeding them Zieglers large floating pellets but mistakenly picked up small floating pellets on my last trip to Zetts in Pa. Does anyone know if the feed is the same protein content as the larger pellets?

Also started feeding them fifteen dozen night crawlers a week ( I buy them from an Amish kid for a dollar a dozen) just to give them a variety in their diet .
It doesn’t appear as though they are eating any of the fat heads which kind of surprises me.

Any thoughts or opinions welcome.

The fun activities promised for Nightcrawler Rumspringa were greatly exaggerated.

Without knowing what the feed is there is no way to answer the question. Did the feed bag have a label on it?

Theo

Rumspringa was very brief for the worms involved.

Eeshup, I looked up the contents ( local black bear made off with bag)

40% crude protein
10% crude fat
4% fiber

Says it’s for trout. They sure like it .

I am starting to get worried about how smart the bears are getting.

Apparently in NY they are planning on pellet-feeding the trout in the ponds way back in the woods!

That trout feed is for slow growth. Higher protein and slightly higher fat content will grow the trout a lot faster. Something along the lines of 45/12.

Thanks esshup

I thought I read somewhere that too high of a protein content could shorten their lifespan and that was my concern. They’re growing fast enough for me, I’m hoping some of them will last 4-5 years. My concern was that my food was too high in protein but I guess that’s not the case?

What’s your opinion on placing mineral blocks in the pond?

FishinRod- this bear shows up every spring, he’s around 350lbs. I’ll try to have my wife post a video of him from the night before last when he was up on our porch looking in the window. We have to bring our bird feeders in at night and keep all the dog food, fish food and cat food locked up. We also have locks on our back porch fridge and freezer as last year he showed us he was capable of opening them and gorging himself.

We built our house in the woods and the bears were here first so we just have to take precautions and as long as he doesn’t get too aggressive we can co-exist.

Mineral blocks in my opinion don't do a thing for the ponds.

Look into electric fences to keep the bears away from things if possible. They use them in Alaska for that purpose.

Before spending good money for mineral blocks in ponds it is wise to first test the pond water for deficiencies of minerals. Adding minerals to ponds without knowing what elements are too low is like paying for a blood transfusion when you are perfectly healthy.

I have family that lives out your way (Orchard Park). Even though they live in town, they have deer in their backyard almost every day. My uncle told me there was a black bear in town for a couple of days a few springs back.

If the bear is up on the porch looking in at your wife, you may have to work out some kind of deal with the bear. If he stays off of the porch and does a few chores around the cabin and the pond - then you might reward him with a few trout!

And if he is really polite, then you will plant a couple of blackberry bushes for him.