Augie, I would say you're good to go to the Hand Throw. All fish eventually eat the larger pellets once they break up, so it's no real loss if the HSB don't get right on it. But I think a 14" HSB will tear it up, and larger HSB for sure.
I haven't really found that feed goes bad if kept dry over the winter, so I would absolutely get some Hand Throw or AQ Largemouth and start rocking.
In Western PA, I can usually feed all the way through October.
1997, sounds like you've got the structure going strong. For a 2/3 acre pond, I would conservatively start with 10-15 HSB, maybe 20, but that's just me. I don't eat them, so what I put in generally stays save for mortality.
