Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Evaluating and adjusting fish populations Feeding Fish

Hello,

I have a seven-acre pond that was stocked in 2015 with bass, several type of brim, blue and channel catfish. I did not stock crappie, but I have also have crappie and have had crappie since I stocked in 2105. I have grass carp and i put in about 20 carp every year. I need advice of the best type of management to feed the fish. I have two Texas Hunter fish feeders on platforms. Both of the fish feeders have not worked well since I go them. Either the battery is bad of the feeding mechanism breaks. I need advice of a different type of fish feeder and how many i actually need along with the best type of feed and how often and when to feed. Now when i feed the grass carp monopolize the feed leaving not much if any food for the rest of the fish.

Sounds like a lot of grass carp to me to do that annually. Is the pond choked with vegetation?

Texas Hunter typically provides fantastic customer support. What feed are you currently using (brand and pellet size)?
.....I think some of the guys here also use Sweeny. I don't know anything about Sweeny personally.

On the feeding of the fish the standard rule of thumb is feed what they can consume in 5-10mins. If there is feed left after that time....shorten it up if they are able to eat it all....more time. Some of the guys have had luck with keeping the feed time short and going multiple times a day as well. I'm on a new pond and feed 2x a day (dawn and dusk) currently feeding 2sec each time.

I hear one feeder per 5 acres is typical. Nothing wrong with going two feeders on seven imo.

On a side note. I'd like to borrow the Delorian for a bit. Like to see what my pond looks like in 2105 =P

Why do you need so many grass carp? Use Stubby Steve's to catch the grass carp and release them (if you want). https://www.stubbysteve.com/ They will shy away from the pellets. If they are continually eating pellets it might be because they don't have underwater vegetation to eat.

Typically it's one feeder per acre to two acres if it's a big BOW. One feeder for 5 acres isn't enough.

I've never heard of a feed mechanism on the TH feeder breaking. A bad battery once in a while, yes. How long have you had them, what size and brand of feed are you using and what is the distance from the spin plate to the bottom of the hopper? Call TH Feeders or PM me your number so I can help you get them working.

As for feed, I recommend Optimal Bluegill Feed if feeding bluegills, Optimal Bass feed for feeding feed trained LMB. You CAN mix it 50-50 in the TH feeder to feed both. The spin plate has to be adjusted a wee bit lower than if feeding just Optimal Bluegill.

What time to feed? I typically feed about 30-45 minutes after sunrise and an hour before sunset. I will feed what they can consume in 5-10 minutes, 15 minutes max. Start out throwing for 1 second and gradually increase the feed time as your pocketbook will allow. On my personal pond I have poor feed response when feeding in full sun. Totally different ballgame if feeding near sunrise or dusk.