If anyone is interested here is good info on catfish spawning in your pond, sent to me from Dunn's.
In nature, catfish spawn in hollow logs, holes in the bank, or under submerged root wads of trees. Some people believe catfish will not reproduce in a pond. They will, but most ponds do not have suitable spawning structures. Also, young catfish travel in schools which make them easy prey for predators, including bass and birds. Blue catfish and especially flathead catfish can be cannibalistic. Survival of catfish, unless they are in a pond by themselves, is very low. For these same reasons, new reservoirs rarely have a good population of catfish.
Spawning
In late spring or early summer, it is easy to tell male and female catfish apart. Females have small, pointed heads and big bellies. Males' heads are broad and heavily muscled, and they frequently are scratched from fighting over spawning sites. Catfish are 2-5 years old when they first spawn. With the longer growing season, fish in the southern part of the country will spawn at a younger age. Older females are usually the first to spawn.
Actual spawning starts when water temperatures reach about 77°F (25°C). When a female is ready to spawn, she will seek out a male in his spawning structure. They go through an intricate dance, with her depositing a layer of eggs, followed by the male fertilizing them. This is repeated, with the eggs sticking together to form a mass. Females have about 3,000 eggs per pound of body weight, and they are all deposited in one spawning session.
Catfish eggs are fairly large, running about 10,000 eggs per pound. After spawning, the male runs the female off and guards the eggs, fanning them with his tail to keep fresh water flowing over them. He will also defend them from other fish that try to eat them. Eggs take 5-8 days to hatch, depending on water temperature. When they hatch, they remain on the bottom as "sac fry", living off the yolk sac for 3 to 10 days. When the yolk is used up, they begin swimming and are called "swim-up fry". If fed properly, they should average 6-8 inches after the first growing season. In commercial operations, these fingerlings will average 1-1½ pounds each by the end of the second growing season, about October or November of their second year.
Spawning Containers
If you want to spawn catfish in your pond, you must provide spawning containers. Hatcheries used old milk cans, earthenware crocks, or nail kegs, but these are no longer available. If you do find one, it is more valuable as an antique. Suitable containers can be made of two 5 gallon buckets fastened mouth to mouth with cable ties through holes drilled in the lip. Cut out half of the bottom of one of the buckets and drill some vent holes to let the air out when you sink it. To keep the container from rolling, attach a brick or cinder block on each side so that the hole you cut is facing up. You can also make spawning containers from PVC pipe, pieces of culvert, or barrels. Keep in mind that males like a container with an opening just big enough to get their heads into, since it is easier for them to defend. Containers can be put anywhere from 6 inches to 5 feet deep, with 2-3 feet probably the best. If you want to remove the containers later, tie a float to them with nylon string so they are easy to find.
Conclusion
If you really want to spawn catfish in your pond, it can be done. However, in a pond with bass and bluegill, you will have only a minimal amount, if any, survive. You are better off stocking larger fingerlings that are too big to be eaten by most of your other fish. If you have a pond with just catfish in it, you are still better off stocking large fingerlings. If you don't, you will wind up with a pond that has adult catfish and a bunch of little bait-stealers that make fishing aggravating. Keep harvest records and replace with larger fingerlings when half of the initial stocking has been removed.
