Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Feeding Feeding fry and fatheads?

Will golden shiner fry eat game fish chow if it is ground up to a powder?

Most assuredly. But I doubt grinding it up is at all necessary. I know medium and large GSH will knock it down whole. In most species I have experience with, small fish whose mouths aren't big enough for whole pellets keep sucking loose particles off the outside until the feed is gone.

At one time GSH probably ate 1/2 the GFC I fed.

To increase the amount of fish that can eat the fish food provide cover near where the feed comes out. GS are often fearful of eating out in the open. Especially if you have a bunch of healthy bass.

I grind pellets in an old blender but it is even easier to soak them until they are mush and toss them in the edge of the pond among the weeds so you can observe them feeding. I feed my fatheads this way and they are always hanging in that same spot looking for food, I have even noticed that area of the pond has a larger average size than the rest of the shoreline of the pond due to the feed. I was shocked and awed by the size of the FH's I was able to trap there using pellets in a small cloth hung in the minnow trap overnight, similar to the crab pots baited on deadliest catch, and I caught amazingly plump minnows with fat bellys as well as their heads, males had spawing colors and females full of eggs, I promplty stocked my forage pond with 3 or 4 dozen of these beauties. Soak them in water and enjoy the show.

I've been grinding Game Fish Chow in an old coffee grinder and now a blender for feeding my fatheads. Placed a 3'x 2' piece of black plastic down with a few rocks to hold it on my sandbar in about 12" of water. Pour the powder down through a chunk of 4" pvc pipe (otherwise it disperses across the surface). The fatheads are getting pretty bold and will swarm around me while I am feeding. The black surface allows me to be sure the are eating it all. Within minutes, they have vacuumed the finest particles up. The bigger (corn meal sized) stuff is next, with the partial pellets last on the table. Game Fish Chow is about $22/50lb, the powder starters are nearly $50/50lb. Makes sense to me, but grinding is a hassle.

A less manually intense way of feeding minnows and other small fish, is to get 20% range cubes from the feed store and put them in the edge of the water. They will sink, break apart and the fish will love it. Also, alfalfa cubes, but I doubt as nutritious as the range cubes.

Is this a range cube?

http://www.tractorsupply.com/webapp/wcs/...ag=true&cFlag=1

You can get just a scoop full in a bag from a feed store. Make sure they are at least 20% protein, or else they will float away from shore. They are cylindrical shape about 2" long and 3/4" dia. Ground alfalfa, protein(maybe corn, soybean) and a sweetener like molasses. It also makes good catfish chum.

thanks mstr, feeding them my pellets is getting pretty expensive and they are insatiable. I dont notice any GSH feeding, only FHM - wonder why?

You sure your GSH are still alive? Usually they are pellet hogs.

I'm going to pretend you didn't even ask that question.

I know, I know... I shouldn't have even asked! OK, they are doing well, spawning like crazy but just haven't figured out that pellets are good to eat. Does that sound better?

It's going to be a beautiful little Crappie pond one day, around 12' max depth, fully shaded by cottonwoods, and nice steep banks - but you're right, it's weird I haven't seen ONE since I've stocked. It's little more than a clay pit right now...not exactly conducive to any fish life except FH. I figured I'd see some morts floating, though. They may be happy feasting on the abundant aquatic life of my ponds, though.

I can get 200 3-6" GSH from a local bait shop for around $20. To me, that's a great deal. I will probably stock a ton more this Summer.

Can't wait to post pics of my well/irrigation system. Will be coming next week - work to finish [God willing] tomorrow. I'm stoked - full ponds around the bend!

200 3"-6" GSH for $20 is a steal. Just make sure the bait shop doesn't wild collect their fish or you could be looking at disease introduction or parasites. If you go that route, PM me and I will give you a pretty good method to treat your fish for disease and parasites so you don't introduce them...

They get them from Hartley's in Kansas...no idea where they source them, though.

I'm PMing you...

Yep TJ, those are range cubes.

Thanks Dave...

Actually they are mashed up alfalfa or other grassy growth with a binding agent.