Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Muddy water chanel cats

I'VE HAD ISSUES WITH MY POND WITH SUSPENDED CLAY PARTICALS. wITH MUCH HELP FROM RAINMAN MY POND LOOKS GREAT RIGHT NOW. I WANT TO STOCK IT WITH SOME CHANEL CATFISH SO WE CAN FEED THEM, WILL THEY KEEP THE CLAY ON THE BOTTOM STIRRED UP?

In high numbers....yes

CC don't root around in the bottom sediments as badly or deeply as Bullheads or Common Carp, but when stocked in higher density they will keep the pond muddy.

What would be a safe number to start with in my .5 acre pond.Is there anything I should do to prep for fish? The fish tk is set to come Nov 18 to our local farm supply.Is it too early for fish? I cked ph today it is around 6.5.

What are the goals for fishing? If you want mainly CC, I wouldn't go over 50 if you want the clay to not re-suspend over time.

Others can offer better stocking rates than me, especially if you wanted to go with a bluegill/bass combination.

CC are generally a put and take fishery. Stock as many of them as you will be eating in a year. Too many can lead to suspended particulates as has been said... Catch and release CC fishing can lead to very large, but nearly impossible catfish to catch. So put 'em in, feed 'em, let them grow to the size you want to harvest them at and then harvest them...

Hubcap,

I hadn't seen your earlier posts, so this is my first chance to greet you. In any case, welcome to Pond Boss.

I read through what I believe are all of your previous posts. Your pond looks fantastic in the October 15 photo. And yes, Rainman is a pretty knowledgeable Pond Boss friend.

From your posts, I'm assuming your pond does not currently have any fish in it. That is what I'll base my advice on.

Depending on what size fish the fish truck has, will determine the quantity to stock. If the fish truck has 4-inch channel catfish, figure they will be approximately 8-10 inches this time next year, 14 - 18 inches in two years, and probably 20-24 inches three years from now. This is based on adequate nutrition.

These are all just educated guesses based on my pond, plus info I've gathered over the years from this site, other sites, and lots of books.

It will also depend on what they have for food. The more you feed them, and the better the quality of the feed, the bigger they will get in a short period of time. Commercial fisheries south of you can raise 24-inch catfish in a little more than two years -- but they take a lot of extreme measures.

This also gets back to your goals, as mentioned in several posts above. In a half-acre pond, they probably will not successfully reproduce. That is good. But, if they do, you may need to think about predators to keep them under control.

If you are planning on adding other fish for recreation and as a food supply, now is the time to start. If you think you are going to eventually want bluegill and bass, now would be a great time to add bluegill, some type of forage fish like fathead minnows or shiners to feed the catfish and eventual bass, and it is probably a good time to add red-eared sunfish for grub control and fishing/eating enjoyment.

If the pond had a lot of weeds before renovation, and you think you might again have a weed problem, now would be a great time to add a couple of grass carp. For a newly renovated 0.5 acre pond, 2-3 small ones (less than 10 inches) should be adequate.

If the catfish are 4-5 inch, I don't think I'd put in more than 50. If the catfish are 10-12 inch, I don't think I'd put in more than 25.

If you are going to eventually want bluegill and bass in the pond, now would be a great time to put in about 200 bluegill and about 100 red-eared (shell cracker) sunfish. Ten to twenty pounds of forage fish, like shiners, rosy reds, fatheads, etc., would be beneficial if you will be adding bass -- just don't add the bass yet. Let everything grow a little bit.

Think about a feeding program for the catfish. Depending on where you are in NC will depend on your feeding season. You are probably past the feeding season if you are in the mountains. You may be able to feed much of the winter if you are in the area east of I-95.

Keep asking questions. Keep us posted.

As always, lots of other ideas and opinions from other Pond Boss members should be considered. This might be a science, but it isn't precise.

Ken

I will write down all of your suggestions and see what the fish supplier says as well.Thanks for all the help, this has been a great source of info. I have been singing the praises of this forum and PondBoss to all my friends.

Thanks Hubcap. We learn from each other, and we really enjoy the friendship of this forum because of the Pond Boss sponsorship. We are just a crazy group of pond enthusiasts, and the Pond Boss owners and sponsors allow us to perpetuate and spread our experience and knowledge.

Let the fish truck owner know about us. More sponsors are always welcome, and it will greatly benefit their business also if we know who they are.

Ken

Hubcap, Catmandoo offered you a very solid "stocking plan". One of the reasons I didn't make any suggestions is because I sell/stock fish. Even though I would never try to oversell you on a quantuty, just bare in mind some fish suppliers want to sell as many fish as possible...Not many, but some definitely do.

Read as much about stocking plans here and ask your supplier why he is making any suggestions he offer. The more informed you are, the easier you will be able to tell if he is offering a reasonable plan.

Think about your goals for the pond, and let us know asap. Unless you want to stock your pond from the fish truck on an annual basis, I wouldn't use Hybrid Bluegills in place of regular Bluegills (just in case the fish truck guy recommends them).

Chanel cats sound expensive, though they probably smell better than other catfish.

My goal for the pond is just recreational. I would like some fish for the kids to feed and to have fun catching and releasing.The fish supplier recommended the following: 50 bass//100 cc/150 sunfish/300bluegill/5-10 ibs minnows.I know I don't want that many cc and I plan on waiting on the bass.Does the rest sound ok?

What size are each species of fish that will be stocked (at stocking)? I'd go heavier on the FHM, double or triple the amount recommended by the fish truck. CC - 50.

If you want to make a trip to Indiana, I'll let you catch and keep all you want - no charge. I'd like to get 95% of them out of the pond.

5-8 inches on cc and 2-5 inches on bluegill

Hubcap,

All good recommendations and plans from Rainman and Esshup. Definitely hold off on the bass until next season, and only 50 catfish. Catfish are great, but they can really become a serious nuisance when they start getting big. And, I'm assuming the "sunfish" you list are red ear sunfish. If so, you are at a good starting place for a recreational fishing pond.

Good luck,
Ken