Stocking big fish is always risky, but to stock them and call it "job done" is madness. A fish of upper 20 or 30lb has had things its way for 8 years or more on a fish farm. Lots of space, food and usually a clean clay pond, so they're used to having their pellet ration presented cleanly infront of them daily. For example a 30lb fish fed 3% bodyweight/day would be fed around half a kilo/day everyday. Thats 3.5kg a week to feed 1 fish. So when stocked into a silty lake with the added stress of competition and anglers, and the daily feed ration no longer presented on a clean clay substrate, is there any wonder these fish struggle to hold there weight, and often turn belly up. You are expecting a huge fish to find 3.5kg/week by digging through the silt to find "naturals" to sustain its bodyweight. And these beasts are capable of eating in excess of 5%/day!! Thats why smaller fish tend to do better, because in a fish farm you can stock a large number of fish and still keep a healthy biomass in each pond. More fish, therefore more competition for food when fed, so when they're stocked out they are used to searching for grub aggressively. If your going to stock big, give it to them their way. If you put an obese man out in the jungle, who's had it his way on benefits, would you expect him to thrive?
Hi Ben, thanks for shipping the Natrepel would be lost without it. As a club we have been using both the Natrepel and your feed pellets for the last two years, and can't fault it. The fish come out of the winter looking healthy and fighting fit. I also follow your posts as it feeds the clubs Knowledge in doing what's best in a small fishery. Keep on doing what you do, as we will not go anywhere else for quality natural feed.
Regards
Martin Chandler
Carlisle And District Coarse Angling Club (Up in sunny Cumbria)