Ryan,
I'd say it's worth a go. Not every pond is the same so what works for one may or may not work for another.
The way I see it the two main factors at work that determine if your trout make it through the summer are the amount of solar heating you get and the fertility of your pond. Obviously the more of both you get, they're going to reduce the tolerance of your trout and the oxygen capacity of your pond. Fertile waters consume more oxygen as the dead bodies of your lower food chain consume oxygen as they decompose.
Keeping warming down by steep sides and shielding solar heating will help although I question if the amount of shielding you mention would be enough in a 1/2 acre pond. Conversely the larger the body of water the more difficult it is to cool it as more cold water is required to do so.
As far as stopping the artificial feeding of the fish that makes sense. They can and will subsist on natural feed but only if their density is not so high to deplete their natural food supply. The downside is you won't get the growth rates on natural feed you will on the pellet diet.
Last edited by Cecil Baird1; 05/29/12 11:43 PM.
