How to Grow Big Fish in Your Pond

Pond and lake ownership provides plenty of opportunities for creating the fishing experience you want for yourself, family and friends. Many people who have ponds and lakes want to grow their own trophy fish to make fishing more memorable. By feeding your pond fish using the right technique, you can make every day at your pond a fishing adventure!

Discover how to grow big fish using pond fish feed in this quick guide.

Supplemental Feeding for Your Pond Fish

Supplemental feeding is key to any pond management strategy for increasing fish size. The benefits of supplemental feeding for your pond management strategy include:

• Higher fish population through food chain support
• Extra nutrients in the water that enhance the pond's ecosystem
• More exciting fishing because of increased fish size and numbers

What to Feed Pond Fish by Type

If you want to make a specific kind of fish grow, you need to feed them the appropriate food. Different fish respond in unique ways to various types of food, and they each need a certain diet to gain mass. Consider these examples of popular pond fish and the diets that help them get bigger:

Bass

Bass will eat just about anything that fits into their mouth — especially protein-rich foods like insects and crayfish. Bluegill and other forage fish serve as a great food resource for bass. Protein-rich fish feed can also helps bass grow in size. A fishmeal-based feed delivers the nutrients that bass need to gain weight and this fish food also feeds the smaller forage fish that can become the next meal for your bass.

Bluegill

Bluegill thrive protein-rich fish feed that will cause these fish to grow large enough that you need to lip them like a bass when you hold them. Bluegill that are fed a steady diet may also reproduce more frequently and produce more eggs, leading to more forage fish and fishing adventures in the future.

Other Fish

For other kinds of fish, ask your pond and lake manager or feed or fish suppliers about the best diet for weight gain. They can recommend a specific food or feeding strategy that will help you grow big fish faster.

The Right Pond Management Strategy for Growing Bigger Fish

In addition to feeding your fish the right food, you need to encourage fish growth through your pond management strategy. An ideal pond management strategy for bigger fish considers many aspects of your pond, including fish sources. Some of the factors in a fish growth pond management strategy include:

Getting the Right Kind of Fish

When first populating your pond, make sure that you get your fish from reputable lake managers and fish vendors. Fish genetics play an essential role in growth and population. As you shop for new fish for your pond, ask the vendor about the best species and genetics for optimal growth in your body of water.

Water Quality

You probably already know that fish need high-quality water to thrive, but maybe not what makes water high-quality to begin with. Your pond's water should have the right pH balance, alkalinity and nutrients to sustain fish. Educate yourself on the basics, such as how depth of visibility and water color relate to water quality. Lake managers specialize in balancing water quality in ponds and lakes and we highly recommend professional advice when it comes to water quality.

Habitat Design

A fish's habitat impacts its ability to grow. Your considerations for habitat design should include pond structure, vegetation and the makeup of the fish population. Proper habitat gives fish plenty of natural food and places to hide. In addition to the right commercial feed, a fish needs the correct natural food. When you keep your pond's habitat healthy, you also foster a healthy food chain that provides natural nutrition.

Smart Fish Feeder Use

Use automatic fish feeders to your advantage when you provide your fish with supplemental feed. Try these strategies for effective fish feeding:

• Get an automatic fish feeder: Automatic fish feeders dispense a specific amount of fish food at the time intervals you set. With an automatic feeder, you can easily train your fish to eat the same amount at the same time every day.
• Use the right number of fish feeders: Remember to get enough feeders for the size of your pond or lake and this can depend on the number of fish and species in your lake and also the acreage.

Use Texas Hunter Products Fish Feeders for Easy Pond Fish Food Management

Count on Texas Hunter Products fish feeders for all of the pond fish feeding equipment that you need. We offer multiple kinds of fish feeders with various capacities to fit a wide range of ponds and lakes.

Ready to buy one of our fish feeders? Order online or call us at 800-969-3337 to order over the phone or to find a lake management professional or fish vendor near you. You can also contact our team online for assistance.