How soon after stocking do trout start eating?
When they stock a lake with trout, how long before the trout start actively feeding and can be caught? I know that for many other species of fish, they go into shock for awhile after being moved and won’t eat for days sometimes until they get more settled in. I’ve also heard that stocked trout hit artifical lures better than bait immediately after stocking but, in the days following, they like bait better. Same questions for catfish. Thanks.
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5 comments a "How soon after stocking do trout start eating?"
as soon as they get over the shock of temp change
When I stock my farm, its always “just depends”. I’ve had rainbow trout and catfish eat floating fish food the same day they were stocked. (Especially the trout since they are such voracious eater if the water temp is cold). I’ve also had them take up to three whole days to “come on food.”
I would say that shock, acclimation and stocking rates all have input on when they start eating. In my catfish ponds, if I stock low, I might not see them eat store bought food for a couple of weeks, but that is due to there being ample natural forage in the pond and no “feeding pressure” on them to trigger a natural feed response. When I stock extra heavy in a pond, they go through the natural forage real fast and “come on feed” almost immediately.
Temperature also has a lot to do with it. Above 60, trout won’t feed heavy. Below 50 catfish won’t feed as much.
I went 1 time, with a friend in New Jersey. The stream was lined with fly fishermen,
Up stream, the trucks were dumping trout & the fishermen, were catching them within a few minutes of the fish hitting the water.
those people were catching trout that were about 6-8″ long & bragging about how big they were.
i live in southern Florida & for bass, we use shiners that are larger.
catfish are the same way.
Immediately. I’ve caught them on spinners literally as they were dumping them into the pond.
Generally the trout will stay close in and sulk for a while before they feed and they will stay in groups for safety after a few days they begin to find their own territory and will start to feed again
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