Originally posted by Dave Davidson1:
Bruce, I've always thought that natural food is important to the health and growth of a fish. High protien pellet fed bass seem to have a head that is disproportionate to their body. I believe it was you that once posted something about unhealthy looking livers in high protien fed bluegills. That would seem to indicate a shortened life span and growth potential.
I once, several years ago, posted a question about how often to feed catfish. Lusk responded, I believe, that you should pellet feed no more than 5 days per week. Something about overall health and I have no idea where that post is. As usual, I have imperfect memory and could be wrong.
The monster bass in California lakes do nicely on a diet of trout. So far, nobody has been able to replicate their growth with pellets, even as a subsidy. From a conversion rate standpoint, high protien pellets work but I wonder if they give the fish the opportunity to really live long enough to become truly mammoth.
Of course, along comes Cecil with his record size perch and trout. I don't know the difference in his fish and sunfish but he ought to patent, copyright and license his methods. It ain't luck in his case.
Dave,
Actually me growing some big trout and some big perch is part luck and not really unique. I get them big primarily by feeding them everything they want.
I'm starting to think some of the biggest perch are feeding on pellets with the bass even though I don't see them doing so. Why? Because I have recently mounted a few of the perch and noticed considerable fatty deposits in them along with the eggs when I skinned them out. That tells me they are probably feeding on the pellets as I don't see this in fish that are feeding on natural feed.
So my mammoth perch may have gotten that way by feeding almost exclusively on the pellets. If that is the case my putting big perch in a pond by themselved may produce some really big ones.
On the other hand I can concur on your thoughts about the bass. Up until this point I'm not convinced my bass will make it up to 6 lbs. or beyond. I've had them long enough to do so, and the biggest has been a fat pig of only 19 inches and 5 lbs. 14 oz.
