Feeding Fish

[Phil Hellmann]

Late last summer my pond turned over and I lost most of the largest bluegill and bass.  Since then the small bluegill population has exploded and they are very skinny due to over population and lack of food.  I haven't caught a bass larger than 6 or 7" and I am importing 1-1.5 lb. bass from other ponds to help get the bluegill back under control.  I also started feeding them.  The only food I could find initially was Sportsman's Choice catfish feed.  The bluegill eat it well but since have found a multi-species food.  I do have channel cat in the pond (I put 50 10 inchers in almost 2 years ago) so they are eating the food as well.  Since I can't selectively feed the bluegill one type of food and the catfish another I was wondering how much it matters which type of feed I use.  The bluegill have responded well to the catfish feed as they aren't as skinny as they were a few weeks ago.  Would appreciate any feedback anyone has on this.

Thanks!

[carl hendrix]

Phil;; ask Tony Livingston;; Walt Foreman; or Dick Tabbert;; all of these guys have ponds;; and raise blue gill..

[Tony Livingston]

Asking which feed is best is about like asking which is better....Ford or Chevy....you're going to hear a lot of opinions! Nevertheless, there are a few constants. Bluegills will grow well on 32-36% protein feed, which is commonly what is found off the shelf in box farm stores. I suppose it also depends on the level of seriousness(?). By that, I mean are larger bluegills for a moderate investment the goal, or are trophy bluegill wall-hangers in the hopeful forecast?

A lot of folks, myself included, feed a higher protein feed which gets the bulk of it's protein from fishmeal, rather than a plant or poultry based subject. As an example, chicken feathers are high in protein, but are difficult for a fish to digest. A top shelf feed will probably have fishmeal listed in the first 2-3 ingredients on the label, and have a 40-45% protein level. The price will reflect that, so factor that into your plans as well.

Species wise, most feed one product and let everything that wants too, eat it. The more important aspect, is pellet size. Ideally, you should feed a pellet the same approx. sixe as the eyeball on your target species. Some will feed a product that has multiple pellet sizes in the bag, like Purina Gamefish Chow, while others will mix feed of different sizes.

I normally feed Purina Aquamax, which is available in many different sizes. Cargill makes a similar feed, as does Skretting. I'm currently involved in field testing a new feed, specifically formulated for bluegills....the first of its kind. My fish go crazy for it, and it reportedly will help encourage longer lifespans by building healthier fish. So far so good.