Can hybrid blue catfish reproduce and if they can what will they reproduce? I have redone my old 1 acre pond and expanded it into a 3 acre pond, and I am considering adding hbc to it. I dont want to have a problem like hybrid bluegill. The old pond had several 3-4# channel cats but no one could catch them. They would go through the feed though. I dont want fish I cant catch, so I'm looking at hybid blue catfish.
I'll wade in on this, but please know I have no experience with hybrid catfish. I am unsure if they will produce viable offspring. In my opinion however, whenever you stock any hybrid fish capable of reproduction you run a certain risk. That's not necessarily a bad thing, it just means that you need to take steps to curtail reproduction. Maybe you could accomplish that by limiting nesting areas, as many times CC do not reproduce in ponds without intervention on the part of the pond owner. We have no CC reproduction in our ponds, but it can happen.
In that case, your task as pondmeister is to limit recruitment, most often accomplished by utilizing a predatory species as population control. Bass wreak holy terror on balls of yoy catfish.
If you're idea of utilizing hybrids is one of dump em' in and forget em', you may not like what the outcome is. If you're willing to take a hands on approach to management, you can reap the benefits of hybridization. We've had hybrid bluegills for almost 7 years, with no issues whatsoever.
Thank you for the response. Do you think that the hybrid catfish would be worth a try or would you just stick with cc? I'm trying hard not to make any mistakes. I'm going to stock it with copper nose bluegill, redear shell crackers, and fathead minnows after the first of the year. My pond isn't at full pool yet. Late next summer I'm going to stock it with Tiger Bass and some kind of catfish.
I did some research on the CC-BC hybrids, and would have used them in my pond, but they are not available in my area. They grow considerably faster than CC or BC and likely would not reproduce in ponds, from what I found. They also get large faster than CC, becoming an apex predator.
A couple of thoughts.
I have no experience with hybrid cats. But, I doubt that they would be that much difference than CC's. Faster growing? Possibly since there would be no gonadal development or spawning stresses. But, like hybrid bluegills, they just might pull off a limited spawn. Like CC's, the young would probably not escape predation from bass or BG.
Fish in ponds can become hook shy with too much fishing pressure. What is too much? I don't know and all ponds are different. And the species doesn't seem to matter. A 10 pound bass on the wall had been hook shy it's whole life until it made a mistake.
I have 2 big cc's in my pond, out of 125, that were stocked 10+ years ago. For the first couple of years I had some fish dinners but as their numbers declined they seemed to get smarter. If I ever hook one it will be surprising. They come to feed but if I try fishing, while feeding, with live bait under a cork they tail slap the cork and quit feeding. But hook avoidance isn't unusual in older fish of any species. Heck, I have had some huge bluegills that were world class bait avoiders.
Yes, the cats do seem to become an apex predator but so do all large fish. I quit worrying about this stuff years ago and just try to enjoy it. No matter what you do, Mama Nature can also throw a curve ball.
If it were me, I would probably stick with CC. IF catfish were an absolute, must-have.
Perhaps some "food for thought"....If the plan is to raise catfish as put and take for the table, IMO I would also look at which one is the best table fare. For example, we know CC are tasty up to about 3 pounds. As they get larger, they develop the yellow fatty meat which does not taste that great and I trim off. My understanding is that BC do not develop that yellow meat. I have not read anything with respect to meat quality with the hybrid. FWIW I currently put and take CC but hope to try BC next time if I can find them.
Bill D, I think most US catfish farms grow out Hybrid Blue/Channel cats now due to faster, more uniform growth rates.
Bill D, I think most US catfish farms grow out Hybrid Blue/Channel cats now due to faster, more uniform growth rates.
Thanks for the input Rex. Looks like I will try to get the hybrid then next fall or spring 2017. Got a recommendation on whether fall or spring stocking is best? Only concern I have with fall stocking is adding extra biomass in the pond for winter with limited growth potential.
I'd stock in the spring. They would be harvestable size in late summer/fall.
No over wintering issues.