For those who want to grow trophy Bluegill I would use a 40/10 or 45/12 fish meal based protein. I have a friend conducting his own study to see if there is a discernable (worth the increased cost) difference between a 40% protein and a 45% protein. I'm not sure there is and I'm not sure there isn't.

If your goal is a very good overall fish food for an entire pond I think a 36% fish meal based food is a good balance (bang for your buck). Finding 36% can be difficult as many of the commonly sold fish food is often 32%.

I sell 45% and 36% protein based food. The 45% is about about 40% to 50% more expensive. I have asked (multiple times) Cargill and Purina to answer the question rather grow rates are 40% more or not. As you might expect the answers is more complicated and the answers not clear. Consequently, I'm not real sure if it is worth the money. The 45% will grow bluegill quicker, but is it worth 40% to 50% more money?

Steve Alexander
http://www.privatewaterfishing.com