You may also occasionally substitute steamed rice, pasta and canned early peas. These are low in protein and easily digestible. Some people advocate feeding wheat germ food at any temperature as long as the fish will eat. I do not agree with that theory for the Metro Atlanta climate. In warmer climates, as in ours, it is unusual for water temperatures to constantly remain under 50 for more than 10 to 12 weeks.
Fish have no stomachs.
If a fish eats in very cold water the food may not be digested and could lead to an internal bacterial infection called Sepsis. I recommend salting your pond in the fall. By this time it'll probably be early or middle November. All leaves should have fallen so a good cleaning will remove any mulm and leaves, allowing our fish a clean bed for the winter. Ponds that winter over full of leaves and mulm are havens for parasites, aeromonas and pseudomonas.