Rowly - Cecil's pretty much right in his previous Aug 19 post. Perch tend to stay near the bottom and it is unnatural for them to come to the surface even for food. They have to be trained for surface feeding; just like catfish. The bigger they get the harder it is to train them. Old dog & new tricks kind of thing. The easiest way to get some of the resident perch on feed is to buy some larger ones already feed trained. (try Laggis Fish Farm in Gobbels MI for larger feed trained perch or
www.ridgeviewfinfarm.com in OHIO). The resident fish will tend to follow the feeders to the surface and teach them to take a few pellets. What really helps to get the nonfeeding residents to eat pellets is to feed them moist sinking pellets in the beginning AND use a feeding ring. For This Info See My Aug 17th Post to Rowly, under the section heading: Fish Food For New & Established Fish.
If you can not feed twice a day, once a day will also work; just not a fast. Time of year and amount of natural forage play a role here also.
As Cecil says, DO NOT overfeed; only small handful to start. And use a feeding ring to start until the fish feed actively. This keeps the food in open water so the fish can find it & get at it; maybe even after you leave.. They have to learn you are not the enemy. The smallest fish may start eating it first and larger ones will come and investigate and also learn to eat, esp after the food softens. Soft moist food is key when feed training esp larger fish. I soften all food that I feed. The fish eat it better, however it takes more time & fooling around. It's my hobby so I don't mind; kind of fun for me. Now, I like feeding them better than catching them. Caught lots & lots of all sizes and kinds. Now the challenge is to grow them to huge sizes. How would your dog like being jerked around by the jaw? I only fish when I need to harvest or to sample growth or thin size classes. Too frequent fishing teaches the fish to be hook smart esp in smaller water bodies. Too much fishing pressure is bad for future fishing unless you keep introducing new stupid fish into the pond.
