To Feed or Not to Feed…
To feed or not to feed forage fish. This is a question that has been debated for years.
Proponents say that feeding protein pellets supplements the natural food available in a pond or lake and can directly and indirectly improve growth rates. Opponents say, it’s too time consuming and too much of a commitment. The cost is prohibitive and it has a negative effect on water quality. So who’s right? Here is some information to help you decide for yourself.
Catfish, bluegill, minnows, etc… all benefit directly from supplemental feeding. As a matter of fact, for every two pounds of protein pellets these fish consume they will have one pound of weight gain. Not only do these fish grow fast but they start reproducing faster and more often as well. Maybe you’re interested in growing BIG TROPHY BASS and you could care less about these other fish. Maybe you should care. If you want to grow that Big Monster, what’s he going to eat to get HUGE? That's right. Bluegill, minnows and other forage fish. Start feeding those forage fish and you are indirectly feeding your bass.
It's a fact that you can get your forage fish and your catfish to grow faster and reproduce better through supplemental feeding.Now here's why that is so important to managing for Trophy Bass. Research suggests that largemouth bass are capable of consuming as much as 5 percent of their body weight daily, under optimal conditions. This means that during a normal growing season (March-October) a 5-pound bass will consume a quarter-pound of food per day, almost 2 pounds per week and over 50 pounds during this period. This is just for one 5-pound bass! Calculate how many of those you have in your pond. Guess what happens to those same fat, healthy 5 pound bass when their food supply gets short? They turn into big-headed, skinny fish. If you start concentrating on managing your forage fish, they'll get fatter, grow bigger, and reproduce faster. Best of all your bass will benefit.
Have we convinced you to start feeding yet? You still say – “What about water quality problems?” The water quality problems that occur from supplemental feeding usually occur from overfeeding. Follow these tips:
- Feed only the amount of food your fish will clean up in 10 – 20 minutes.
- Feed a floating fish food so that you can monitor intake.
- Keep your program consistent, same time, same place each day.
- Feed a good quality food. This is not the place to try to save a few pennies.
- Watch your water temperature. Catfish, bluegill and minnows will surface-feed when water temps are between 55° – 85° F, When the water temps are in these upper and lower ranges you will need to reduce or eliminate feeding.
- If you feed your fish you need to harvest your fish or risk water quality problems associated with too much fish waste for your pond.
Experts say the best way to get the most out of supplemental feeding is to be consistent. Feed the same place, the same time every day. Yes, that is quite a commitment if you had to hand feed every day. The Sweeney Directional Pond & Lake Feeder takes the time consuming commitment argument away from the opponents and if you manage it properly the effects on water quality are also removed. If you want more pounds of fish per acre pond you need to consider supplemental feeding. With a Sweeney Feeder you receive the highest quality feeder on the market and the years of service you will receive make this feeder your best value over time.
For a very rewarding pond management experience try a Sweeney Directional Feeder and for some expert advice in this field check out some of the links above. Feel free to give us a call at 800-443-4244 we'll be happy to discuss your feeding options with you.
