Pond Boss Forums STOCKING A NEW POND Types of fish to choose Rainbow Trout in and old pond newly excavated

One more thing, I would seriously consider if your water temps are marginal later in the summer even with the best laid plans... only feed once a day in the morning. Don't feed in the evening! Trout with full stomachs consume more oxygen, and going into night time when D.O. levels typically drop until dawn, that is not a good thing -- if you have marginal temps -- which means lower D.O. You would be surprised how fast and fat trout can grow on only one feeding a day if you feed them to satiation.

Here's a brook trout that was only fed once a day because for some reason the brook trout weren't interested in feeding in the morning. It was something related to light as they did not want to come up once the sun was up. They stayed mostly on the bottom. My browns and rainbows I had previously would feed vorociously twice a day although they did feed the best in evening. Go figure.

Yeah I know I had just got up and we artists don't care about our hair.

This fish's tail just does not look adequate enough to propel him through the water considering his size.

That's what happens when a fish is growing at a very rapid rate. The fins don't keep up. I have pellet fed largemouths like this too.

I have caught bluegills in a local musky lake that had their tails bit off. Seemed to conpensate just fine.

Cecil, I didn't mean that in any negative way. I just laugh everytime I see those massive fish with the dinky tails.

Me too! I laugh all the way to the bank! Just sold that fish for $100.00 to a taxidermist in Montana. That's why I posted the pic as I had to dig it out recently to show him the size of the fish.

I know what you mean though.

Readers - Keep in mind that that huge brook trout came out of that dinky front pond in the photo on the previous page. Cecil can really raise big trout.

Also keep in mind that as Cecil says, trout are not as sensitive to super chilled water as other warm water fish. Many trout live in rapidly moving streams that don't freeze in sub zero, cold winter weather. This moving stream water is chilled below that standard 39F observed in the water column of pond and lake settings during winter ice cover.

When streams become superchilled during very cold temperatures, the stream bed forms anchor ice. This is where ice forms on the bottom areas (substrates) while the sub 32F degree water keeps moving downstream above the bottom. Cold water fish and some cool water fish are adapted to these super chilled water conditions.

Cecil, if you turned that fish over I think we'd see laces and an "Official NFL Size and Weight" marking.

:D