No, I do believe they are still there, but I have never dealt with feeding fish fish food. this is a new property and i am a well versed fisherman. I have also previously owned stocked ponds although I did not feed them. I have never had issues getting bluegill to bite. I guess I am asking,
1. if you stop feeding BG for a while, will they forget and need to be reconditioned to feeding on fish food?
2. did the introduction of LMB to the pond even though it was only 5 or 6, cause them to be more reluctant about being so overly active?
Just seems to be such a drastic change in activity in just a few months time. I used to throw a handful of floating food in and it looked like a hatchery, now they won't even come to eat it at all
Some things I have observed about feeding.
I nearly always feed around the perimeter of the pond, throwing out feed from a moving 4 wheel UTV. The fish have become accustomed to the sound/vibration of that UTV. Any time I drive around the pond in it, fed or no feed, I can see the wakes of the small to mid size BG heading toward me. They immediately start hitting feed as I throw it out.
If I walk out to the pond and throw a little feed out.............. nothing. For a little while. First a fish or two will find the feed, then their splashing draws a few more, then within a few minutes I can have lots of fish feeding. But without the "dinner bell" of the UTV driving around the fish do not know to come till the splashing of a few draws the others in.
I have no feeder. So when I leave for a week, if my grandson is around, sometimes he might or might not feed the fish for me. One time while gone for a full week, they did not get fed any. Upon return, driving around the pond with the UTV, few fish came in for feed. After a while (much like walking around with feed) a few would feed and draw in the others. It took about 3-4 days for the fish to get fully conditioned to the sound/vibration of the UTV as the "dinner bell". Each day a few more would join in till everything was back to normal.
Although my most often time of feeding is evening right before sundown, If I am going to be gone at that time I might feed any time of day. As long as I am in the UTV, they will come for the feed. Morning, noon or night.
It takes fish a while to get conditioned to a routine. "They" say to feed at the same time and same place each day and I think that would be best. But I think one key to the fish coming is that they know what the "dinner bell" is. I think if a person is not able to feed at regular times, some form of conditioning would suffice. For example a piece of pipe banged on right before feeding time I bet would do it. Sound travels exceptionally well under water (the fish CAN hear my footsteps when I walk out on the dock).
Once the fish learn the routine, whatever it is, you have them hooked on feeding.
