Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Feeding Change From MVP to Something Else?

For much of last year and so far this season, the bigger LMB do not come to my TH feeder as they did when initially stocked as 1-1.25 pounders in June of 2017. This is largely due, in my opinion, to these fish having plenty of native BG to eat on a daily basis. Many of these initial stockers are now pushing the 4 pound mark which syncs well with our goal of catching a good number of 3-4 lb. LMB in this 1.6 acre pond. And, obviously, MVP sized pellets are very small for fish of this size. The smaller bass that were never pellet trained do not visit the feeder although they appear to pick off BG that are feeding on a fairly regular basis.

However, many different size BG feed at the two times (morning and late afternoon) that the feeder goes off. I have been using Purina MVP for the last 3 seasons (approx. April through mid-October).

My question is this: is MVP the right feed for me given that BG are by far the main fish being fed? Should I switch to a feed that has ONLY floating pellets? MVP is a quality feed but not sure I am getting the most bang for my buck due to the largest pellet sizes and the fact that about 30% of the pellets sink. Thoughts? Any opinions are appreciated. Thanks. BM61.

I have been using Optimal Bluegill Jr and Bluegill the last three years. I tried some of their hand throw size last year. It was great to see some large bluegill and catfish hit those pellets. No feed trained bass but hoping to stock HBS next year. Optimal has been amazing in the growth of our forage base.