I have a Texas Hunter feeder. Pond is 1 1/2 acres and is full of bluegill, native bass, and new Florida bass.
I set my feeder for 6-8 seconds three times per day. Some of the Floridas will eat the pellets but mostly the BG. They clean it all up in under two minutes and it is a feeding frenzy for sure - Am I feeding enough? Already paying a fortune in feed - thoughts?
I have found they will eat as long as you feed them…..
Tim, the standard advice is feed until they can't eat it all within ten minutes or so. But my BG (and some LMB) eat and eat and eat once it warms, to the point where I can't afford to feed them to satiation.
They will survive just fine even if we don't feed them as many pellets as they'll eat. Supplement mentality rather than dependence. If your feeder is like mine, 6 to 8 seconds a day 3x equals around two to three pounds feed daily, appropriate for your size BOW. Sounds like you are doing it right, balancing growth with budget. Bet you grow some whoppers!
Would there be any benefit to adding a 4th time slot?
When fish are eating as long as you feed them, this could indicate that there are too many fish and harvest is probably needed. Feeding more and more each year without adequate harvest keeps creating more fish numbers. Feeding more than a basic amount perpetuates over crowding moving toward water quality problems.
Feed is like crack or heroine. It feels really good at first ... but the more one uses ... the more he needs until one day all is lost in an accumulated overdose. Its really hard to stop doing it once addicted.
Fish harvest isn't enough with BG and LMB. They are too far up the food chain to sufficiently remove nutrients through harvest. When the standing weight of BG and LMB exceed what a pond can carry naturally ... only supplemental feeding can sustain them. As the standing weight becomes excessive and the water quality begins to limit the natural food chain (1st level consumers) ... the countdown begins.
When fish are eating as long as you feed them, this could indicate that there are too many fish and harvest is probably needed. Feeding more and more each year without adequate harvest keeps creating more fish numbers. Feeding more than a basic amount perpetuates over crowding moving toward water quality problems.
So I may need to harvest some of my BG? On all the ponds I have owned I have never had to do that - I do cull bass but did not know BG would need it too
I've dealt with an over crowded bass lake for many years and have finally started to see the bass grow and far less thin bass... I feed only once a day as much as they can eat in about 10 minutes.
I find it hard to remove my BG and I have some very large BG due to the over crowded bass problem I had for years... now that the bass are growing I find it hard to remove any of the BG because they are producing a lot of bass food. I use to never see 2-4" baby BG, now I see lots of them.
The turtles do cost me quite a bit in fish food though...
I've dealt with an over crowded bass lake for many years and have finally started to see the bass grow and far less thin bass... I feed only once a day as much as they can eat in about 10 minutes.
I find it hard to remove my BG and I have some very large BG due to the over crowded bass problem I had for years... now that the bass are growing I find it hard to remove any of the BG because they are producing a lot of bass food. I use to never see 2-4" baby BG, now I see lots of them.
The turtles do cost me quite a bit in fish food though...
Wonder if night feeding would help against turtle appetites. It does seem to cut down geese problems.
Feed when the fish eat best. BG have small stomachs, so it is better to feed several times a day. How to time feedings is important to your goals and depends on your population status. IMO feeding BG at night when LMB are present is not a good idea. LMB have better low light vision than BG so the BG are at risk at night. BG won't feed as well as a result. If you are concerned that the big BG are hogging the food then feed smaller amounts spaced and hour apart. Big BG will eat first and be full and digesting when the feeder goes off an hour later. I change feeding regimes to match max growth/weather/temp. In spring I feed as temps warm at 12 and 3 to feed at warmest time. As it gets hot I may go to 5 feedings - early and late to feed when cooler at 6, 8 am, 5, 6 and 7 pm. As the weather warms and BG are at their best growth temps the amount of feed they can use is greater. It is about your goals and situation - what works best for you.
Some thick cover ,like xmas trees ,around the feeding area encourages the small BG to eat and helps with survival.
Great post, ewest! Interesting that you and Bob Lusk have different opinions about night feeding pluses & minuses. He advised me to do so when birds are bad about stealing feed & eating fish, at least during summer.
I asked on a Wednesday night show from Purina Mills lake if there had been any studies done on night feeding, but this wasn't really something in which they took much interest. I got the impression that they didn't think there were any significant differences between night & day fish feeding.
Early morning has coolest temps during the summer, but it also has the lowest oxygen levels, so I've been a bit reluctant to feed before 8am. Maybe that's not a real worry in a sports pond, however.
There certainly can be reasons to feed at night that trump increased BG predation by LMB. Especially if you have dense cover around the feeding area. Better LMB night vision vs BG is just one factor. Have some studies somewhere - will try to find and post. Also verified by personal observation from many hours of observation (lakes/ponds and aquarium) at night visual (with and without light source) and IR. BG will find a safe spot and stay motionless unless disturbed while LMB will move around seeking food. Try night fishing for LMB - top water with minnow type plug. Another interesting experiment - try illuminating a school of shad/minnows at night and watch the action - fish spook and LMB feed.