what is the growth rate of Blue Catfish? I had some stocked in a pond and i want to know how fast they would grow.

Depends on feeding rate. Fed at a 2% of body weight diet you could expect over 3 lbs/yr easy.

Man!

3 pounds a year??! are you sure?? Newbie does this sound right are? your blues 3 pound now after having them a year??

Thanks for the facts. I caught some fish already near 4 pounds. This was after a year being in the pond. Most of them averaged 3 pounds and one was 5 pounds. The fish i bought were from 4 inches to 7 inches long. I suspect the big one was one of the 7 inchers. Thanks for the help.

Yea, that's about what mine are. They are getting so fat that their eyes are starting to bug-out. I will tell you this, they taste very good

big pond,
It depends on several things, but yes if you buy a fish that is already up to 7 inches then they start to put on weight quickly. If you have temps above 60 for 8 months of the year 3 lbs is a realistic goal.

Bluecatters:

Growth-rates confirmed by Greg Grimes, an active fisheries consultant based in Georgia, are consistent with what we see here in Texas and southern Oklahoma. The blue cat is nothing if not a predator.

Trouble is, blues are so effective, we have found they can become a significant player in the food chain, thus a negative factor when big bass are the No. 1 management objective.

Mark McDonald
Editor, Pond Boss

Well, my goal is to have big blues and channels. There is enough shad and perch to fill an army with. The turkeys that roost along the water make a good "poo" source for the young channels. So, thanks for your help with my questions.

Mark McDonald: What did you mean by this Quote...

I am trying to be a blue_catter but all I have now is Bass, Bluegill, Shellcracker, and Channel Cat. Want to get rid of the channel cat..I think..

Now when you said, "signifacant in the food chain" At what size and age would I expect them to start forageing like Bass on the bream? and then at what age and size would they start foraging on the Bass...

Blue catfish can reach weights of 50 pounds or more, which means they can be the dominant predator all other species. Channel cats, on the other hand, seldom exceed 10-12 pounds in a small, closed system.

When does a blue cat become a significant player in the food chain? Just as soon as its jaws will fit around a bluegill.

Mark McDonald
Editor