Tracy, your experience in the South with a different panfish species is still relevant and great food for thought. Most of the YP will knock into the pellet ball to break it up before they eat, but it only takes one overambitious YP on occasion trying to eat a giant bite to kill a fish. I appreciate your observation, so I'm still squeezing pellets to get the air out so they'll sink, but now I'm trying to loosen the ball up before I toss it in so that it breaks up right away upon hitting the water so I don't create so much of a fish choking hazard. Thanks!