Originally Posted By: FireIsHot
Tony I hope progress is being made. This is an extremely interesting and important aspect of southern fisheries management, and there's no reason for it to hit the crapper because of unchecked testosterone.

I'm done with this one.


You know, I really am trying to be nice and polite, but it's becoming very hard with little digs like this. You don't like what you saw here because I posted results that are contrary to some of the flame throwing I took? Tough. Go back and read the other thread and make sure you look at the parts where I told some of these guys what was going to happen ( in my case here in Louisiana) And it happened just like I said it would. Even after your buddy who fanned the flames came up with everything he could think of as to why my feeding tendencies would fail. And NOW WE SEE the results. Plain as day.
Let me go back and show you some of the remarks.

12/10/14
Originally Posted By: sprkplug
It's not so much a question of whether or not they will eat, as much as what will eating the pellets do to them? That's where the debate lies....what problems, if anything, will eating the unhydrated feed cause?

Your fish are new, as in this is their first winter, aren't they Jason007? How do you know what the repercussions may be?


12/11/14
Originally Posted By: sprkplug

Animal instincts are fine, but I don't think they're perfect safeguards. Ever see a horse that has foundered on feed, or even lush grass? Or a dog that has drank antifreeze? Sure, they're warm blooded and may experience taste sensations that fish cannot, but you would think instinct would kick in to keep them safe?


12/11/14
Originally Posted By: sprkplug
Your experience? If I understand you correctly, this is your first pond, your first batch of CNBG in this pond, and your first winter with these fish?

What pond/bluegill experience are you referring to?

My friend, it's not winter yet....no one here is suggesting that feeding your fish in cold temps will cause them to go belly up immediately, or an hour later, or the next day. I need to see the results after WEEKS of cold water feeding. It's going to get a LOT colder up here once winter starts...maybe it will in your location also. I would love to feed my fish all winter, but until I have more information in this regard I'm not going to.

If you have documented, scientific proof that it is not harmful to feed all winter, in cold water, please share those resources with all of us so that we can discuss those findings.


I really like this one with the condescending tone wanting proof and fact....which I have given him and what happened? STILL DISPUTES THE ACHIEVED RESULTS. An no, this isn't my first pond. This is not my first time fiddling with a pond.
The pond in my back yard is the first pond in my back yard. I should have mentioned something about that back when but didn't think it mattered.
12/11/14
Originally Posted By: sprkplug
It may be fact...but right now, in the absence of proof, it's simply opinion. Saying and believing does not make something correct. Show me peer-reviewed, documented reports on the effects of feeding fish meal based, high protein pelleted feed during cold water periods and we can begin.

I'm fully aware that my fish will eat all winter long...I'm an avid ice angler. I'm not concerned about my fish getting an upset tummy from foraging on bloodworms, or yoy species. It's the processed, non-hydrated, pelleted feed that I'm curious about. If I can feed it to my bluegills all winter long, awesome. I'll start tomorrow.

But in the absence of someone with the appropriate credentials showing me proof that it's okay, I'm going to pass. I don't blame you for wanting to feed all winter, and I hope that you do. Maybe we can all learn a thing or two by you volunteering your fish as test mules...I believe that's a core philosophy of what PondBoss is all about after all, the sharing of accurate information.

I say pour the feed to em'. I'll watch, and hopefully learn a thing or two.


Oh really? Ok well, I only have one thing to say about that. A picture is worth a thousand words.
Feb 23, 1:15 pm central.


But wait there's more. And then this.
12/11/14
Originally Posted By: sprkplug
Good for you. Be sure and document everything, so your experiment can be repeated, and the results duplicated by experts. After all, one pond in Louisiana does not a paradigm shift make.


I'm almost at a loss for words on the above. Did anyone say one pond in Louisiana would make paradigm shift? Is that anywhere on any thread I typed on? Additonally everyone knows I'm in Louisiana, and apparently knows what the climate is like here, which has now seemingly turned into a SAD EXCUSE while demonstrating the finer art of backpedaling after seeing the results, of my umm, " test mules." Everyone knew I was in Louisiana at the time of the above quoted comment, But Did that stop this??? Oh nooooooooo,,,,,,no no noooooo. Of course not.

12/14/14
Originally Posted By: Rainman


I see a lot of opining, conjecture, theorizing and hypothesis in red, but little "fact".

Fish are opportunistic and will eat when they can. When cold and the metabolism slows, they still eat, yet the feed is not digested, metabolized nor utilized the same. In a 2 year University of Arkansas study involving catfish, they discovered feeding weekly, or not feeding at all, when water temps drop below 55*, the fish lost the same amount of weight.

What I see, at best, from winter feeding is you get no gain in growth, but lose money from feed expenses, and can potentially create more problems than not feeding at all....If cold weather feeding helped fish grow, every commercial fish farm, every feed producer in the world, every professional pond manager, and most pondmeisters wanting big fish would jump all over it.

It is not myth, nor tradition, that causes fish farmers to stop feeding. It is not myth that causes commercial fish feed producers to suggest NOT feeding in cold waters...it would be against their best interests to do that. It is the fact that it less profitable, and often problematic, to feed many fish in cold waters.


Trust me when I tell you guys that I have nothing against anyone here. But this above quote has been completely and utterly demolished, obliterated beyond any type of salvation.



21/11/14
Originally Posted By: Jason007
Yes I know.
Even after I prove the myth , entirely incorrect......there will still be quite a few who will swear that nothing was proven and they will still be terrified, in the name of ( the sky is falling),, to feed their fish a single pellet, if the water temp is below 55 degrees.

So having said that, I'm just gonna go ahead and do it.
I'm calling BS on the the scenario in all its imaginary glory. I'm also going to say it again. It's folklore, it's a myth, and unproven myth at that.

12/13/14
Originally Posted By: Jason007
No disrespect intended, but this MYTH of pellet feeding when Temps drop is total , unequivocal BS, conjured up from the internet. The fish will eat.........and yes.....they will utilize calories like every other animal on the face of this planet for 500 million years...or more. No matter what the situation. Period. Scientific FACT........if you will.

Like I said, I shall prove this .....Glorified fantasy.......incorrect.


And I have done just that. Just like I said I would.
It's right before your very eyes. We don't see any sickly fish. We see healthy fish that have grown VASTLY, that's right, VASTLY, when some said that could not possibly happen, with references to pondmeisters and whatnot. Do not try to change it to " oh you're in Louisiana". Everyone knew that before hand. I don't want to see the backpeddling and I'm not even going to take it into account. I told you guys I was going to do something. And in the face of raging nay sayers and criticism, I carried it out like a Seal team mission.

I am going to say it one last time. Feed your Coppernose Bream. You are not going to kill them or adversely effect them. And yes, Absolutely 100% without a doubt, they will grow in the winter time. They will stop taking your pellets LONG BEFORE any harm comes to them.