I'd like to think that fish was from the first batch of RES that I stocked as fingerlings late June of '19, so pellet trained July/Aug of '19, then released back into the pond.
Spring of '20 I started trapping and caging RES in late spring. Those would have been 2019 recruits. Every RES I trapped went into the cage.
Every 4 weeks or so I pulled the cage, caught out the fish that had obviously taken well to pellets and released them back into the pond.
The smaller fish stayed in the cage for more training.
I did that from mid-May until mid-September. When I pulled the cage for the last time I sent the runts to the bait pond and the pellet eaters went back into the cow pond.
I suppose that it's possible this fish could have come from the first batch that was pellet trained this year, but I'm thinking probably not.
Either way, it is a nice fish, and it's not the biggest one I've seen. It is the biggest one that I've caught.
I'm looking forward to what next year brings. I have a feeling I'll be seeing RES that are 12"+ by the end of the summer.
