Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Aquamax Freeloaders

Okay, I can accept that the 5 grass carp will eat my Aquamax 500 rather than the aquatic foliage that I would prefer they consume. I am willing to tolerate the resident "slider", that grazes happily alongside my HBG, (which happen to be the target species I am trying to feed.) I can even abide the mangy stray cat that shows up occasionally at feeding time and begs a handout. But now, I have to put up with LMB gulping down this stuff? At first, I thought it was just one slightly unbalanced Bass, but this last week I have been forced to recognize that the Aquamax eating Bass are growing in number. It appears to be a learned behaviour from watching my HBG. Just as a refresher, I stocked HBG in March of last year, and put in approx. 40, 6-10" LMB as a management tool to control any reproduction from the hybrids. the pond is 2/3rds of an acre. I am extremely pleased with how the hybrids are doing, and with the pond in general, although I added an aeration system last weekend, and after reading through the archives about initial startup killing the fish, I can't get my nerve up to run the thing over an hour a day! But that's a topic for the aeration forum. My concern is this: will the LMB decide it's easier to eat pellets rather than chase minnows and fry? I have no interest in growing LMB, I wanted them lean and hungry to control my HBG reproduction. Looks like I succeeded, as I have been raking FA out of the shallows for two weeks, and only saw 2 minnows. Are the LMB flat-out starving, or is this normal?

Two things:

1.) Many people mistakenly believe their largemouths are learning to feed on pellets for the first time, when in fact most largemouths these days are feed trained at hatcheries (at least in my area of the country) as it's more efficient to feed them pellets vs. minnnows. It's common for these feed trained bass when first planted to revert to feeding on live feed if it's quite abundant. However once that feed gets cropped down somewhat, the pellets become atttractive again as like most creatures they are opportunists.

2.) Your largemouths will still eat live feed and strike on lures.

Thanks Cecil, I appreciate your input. I'm not too concerned over whether or not they will hit lures, as I don't normally fish for them. I just want to make sure they continue to clean up what little reproduction occurs with the HBG!! Also, I didn't explain the situation very well..., these LMB came from another of my ponds, not from a hatchery. Strictly wild fish. Sorry for not making that clear.

LMB spend every waking minute looking for a meal, dont worry.

I think you probably added too many though, as the LMB will vastly outproduce your HBG in a year or two. I would start keeping a few of the skinny ones you catch from now on to keep them in check

Are the LMB flat-out starving, or is this normal?

Can you describe the condition of the LMB or better yet post a pic?

I have a couple turtles that know when feeding time is, and a wild catfish that a smartass buddy put in my pond who also has learned when feeding time is

My turtles have adapted to the Aquamax express diet as well, they are in the common feeding area before I show up almost daily. Primary benefit is they scour the shore for any left over feed and keep it cleaned up, secondary benefit is the season open on them July 1st...so they will become quarry then.

Well that's cool that they have learned to hit the pellets. Most likely they're hungry but not necessarily starved. As Eric asks what are their body conditions?

I used to actively move turtles from my ponds thinking they were a problem but don't do it anymore. I've found they cause no harm and like Joe says they are good at cleaning things up.

I had seven cages in the ponds last year and no damage whatsoever from the turtles.

Thanks for the replies everyone. Ewest and Cecil both asked about the condition of the LMB. They SEEM normal to me.. Everyone I have accidently caught while Bluegill fishing has looked just like the Bass from the other ponds. Although they are definitely not dis-proportionately round like the HBG!! Those fish are growing great guns! I think for now I'll leave everything as is and continue to moniter the LMB. I like the fact that I don't see any fry or minnows in the shallows.

Interesting situation to compare SparkPlug, how old are your fish and how big are they? My pond is also 2/3 acre with HBG, bass, and I also have crappie. When the pond was one year old I stocked FHM. They multiplied until the pond was wiggling with them. Two years later I stocked 1000 HBG and 100 crappie which were both 1500/pound (about 3/4 inch long). Then after two years when the HBG were about 4 inches long I put in 6 wild LMB that were 6 inches long. By that time the FHM were gone. It was either the crappie or HBG that ate them. My HBG grew really fast to 1/2 and 3/4 pound. Then they slowed down to where it has taken a total of 9 years to get HBG weighing 2 pounds. My largest crappie are about 15 inches. I think the bass and crappie have controlled what little HBG reproduction occured. I now have an F2, F3, and I think an F4 generation of HBG but not very many of them. Each year I see large schools of LMB fry but they disappear during the summer. I have several year classes of bass in the pond ranging from 4 inchers to 20 inchers but not a lot of them. Something eats them when they are small too. Is it the HBG? The crappie? The other bass? Or all of the above? I do have to work some at controlling the crappie population but not much. I supplemental feed with aquamax 500, about a pound to 2 pounds per day. As far as I know, I have not seen LMB eating aquamax. I do have crappie eating it but they were hatchery feed trained.

Talk about Aquamax freeloaders. Last week I broke a bag of it while throwing it into the pickup off the loading dock at the feed store. I picked and swept as much of it up as I could and put it in a bucket. While I was working on a mower in my shop I noticed my choco lab kept slurping and picking up something off the floor. I finally realized he was eating the Aquamax I spilled. I let him proceed figuring it won't hurt anything. Eventually though he went off and started eating it right out of the bucket. No wonder he's so fat.

bz:

I'll bet it's a combination of all 3 that are eating the LMB fry. Have you tried feeding AM600 or a mixture of 500/600?

My cats love Aquamax for sure if given the chance, as well as the coons if I forget to shut the garage door at night.

I just switched from AM 500 to 600 and like the 600 better after a pond has become established. The LMB dont have to eat 60 pellets to get a meal and my big fish can eat the feed and get bigger while the small BG have to work much harder to get a meal and stay smaller. The big BG can maintain their dominance a little easier IMO.

I also have one YP that can amazingly eat the Aqamax LMB pellets, I dont have any idea how he swallows it but he does.

I removed a snapping turtle last year from my pond that had a kinked tail, the end turned up and always pointed to the sky when he lounged at the top of the water. I caught him on a hook and jug line last summer and didn't have time to butcher so I drove him a 1/4 mile down the road to a swampy area full of duck weed and lilly pads, and set him free. Well, this year he is back, same crooked tail lounging in the same spots. I guess he is a resident now. Too much work to unhook them and why bother anyway, they are neat to see.