Pond Boss Forums STOCKING A NEW POND Types of fish to choose White catfish

I was just wondering if they could live in South texas. Also I was wondering what they eat, how they spawn in ponds, and big they get in ponds.

White catfish are native to most of the east coast especialy the new england area so I cant imagine that they wouldn't thrive well in texas. Thier diet is the same as channels and bullheads. White catfish spawn on nests just like bullheads. Two to Four pounders are very common Eight pounds is exeptional in any waters and the freak of nature world record tipped the scales at 22 pounds.

-Scott

Has any one had any success stocking these creatures? How well do they do in pond culture?

By the way... Newbe how are your cats doing? are the blues still out growing the channels?

I have had only one experience with white catfish. it was in a 7 acre pond. I'm not sure how they were introduced, but the first year I shocked the pond it was typical bass heavy. I sampled 70-80 bass in the 1 pound range, also caught 10 white catfish. I recommended removing bass and catfish b/c the pond owner was going for big bass. Two years later I was called back out for another survey. This survey turned up some very interesting results, I sampled 8-10 bass still skinny and stunted looking even though the owner was removing at recommended rates and enough 5-8 inch white catfish to fill a 30 gallon tub until it over flowed. I did not even complete one lap around the pond with the shocking boat. there were so many white catfish that we did not net up it was crazy. the pond was full of white catfish, literaly thousands none large enough to eat. we just pulled the plug, killed all the fish in the pond and started over.

if they spawn like bullheads they should do great in ponds if they are heavily fished. Any way about catfish growth rates, my blue cats at 1 1/2 years are up to 8 pounds and and my channels are up to 4 pounds. The reason why the blues out grew the channels in my pond is that my pond is chalk full of gizzard and threadfin shad. The pond is about 35 acrcs and when the threadfin spawn it is like the grassy banks turn white with fish. The problem i have with it is extremely over populated with C. Carp and smallmouth buffalo. Also some how 100's of grass carp got in. I'm pretty sure they came from washed out ponds during last summers floods. Anyway i read in an magazine that they have White cats in california they may work here dunno.

Man! You say you had your blues for a 18 months and they are already 8 lbs!!! Is this average across all the fish or is it just a few... Man, Golly, really amazing. So you say you think its the threadfins and gizzards that are causing such massive growth? I wonder why the channels have not gotten as big? Do they forage on shad?
Well I have a buddy that is in the process of buying a 32 acre lake!! But he does not want cats...trophy bass and crappie. I tell you, I really need to get on the stick with these blues, the problem is I am in the process of selling my lake, and have to either find another one or build one.

Boy!! 8 pounds in 18 months!! Thats truly something special.... Please keep me posted...

No not all of the fish are 8 pounds. Ive caught them from 2 to 8 pounds. The blues where 4" to 6" long and the channels were 3" to 4" long. Thats one reason why there is a size differance and the other reason is that 99% of my vegitation is gone which provides food for channels. My blues are as fat as piggies but the channels are not as pudge. I noticed a good thing while running a trotline that was a female channel had eggs dripping out of her and i caught some male channels that look like they have been on the nest. I'm just hoping they live to get to a couple of pounds. i dont know if the blues have spawned but i know they spawn before channels. I just hope i can keep water in it for a few years to get some 30 pounders! One more quick thing is that i had about a 1 pound 12 inch male channel that looks like he spawned because his head was swollen and slate blue. I thought that was pretty small to spawn but i guess not.

Did not know that channel ate plant life, really did not know what they foraged on really. Could this be the reason why channels are a perferd fish to stock over blues? Blues are meat etaers I would say. This I guess, would keep channels from competeing with bass. is this true?

I've gotta say that's the first time I've heard channel cats called plant eaters. I catch most of my channels on live bait, but I've literally caught them on almost anything I've thrown in the water. They are also widely known as a scavenger fish and will eat just about any dead animal matter. Although I said I've never actually heard someone call them plant eaters, I have even caught them on dough balls so I know they will eat plant matter, but that's definately not their preferential food to the best of my knowledge and experience.

Ok, I a littel confused too, if you have the "old fashion" stocking rate. 500 redear 500 coppernose and 100 bass and 100 channels per acer. We all know that the bluegill and redear eat littel small bugs and insects in the water and the bass eat the bream of course....but what do the channels eat? If this is an unfed pond?

Channels eat the same thing the bass and large bluegills eat. Actually, the best thing to stock in a new pond is fathead minnows. They are very prolific and slow swimming. I used to watch 6 to 8 inch channels chasing them around the pond when I first stocked. Also, I have heard more recommendations of 80/20 % mix of bluegills (or coppernose) and redears.

I was wondering if this would be the best forge for channel cat: crawfish, fathead minnows, mosquitofish, grass shrimp, and pumkinseed.

i chose these fish because they stay small. I guess other perch would work but they would proubly stunt. Maybe threadfin shad where possible.

Well bass eat bream (bluegill, shell crackers), and bream eat smaller organisms in the pond, thats why people recomend and fertilization process if you are not feeding. But how can you say the channels eat the same as what the bream AND bass, seems as if they either forage like bass or.....I don't know...they really don't forage like bass I don't think, blues forage like them.
It also does not seem right for them to forage like bream either, being that they are such a big fish. I really can't say what they eat on a regular basis in an unfed pond.

Well Zack I think in the perfect world, the best food for channels is an autmatic feeder puting out catfish chow on a regular basis. Although these other ideas would seem to work as well. But I thought you had 35 acre lake full of thredfins? right?

Well, I'm just wondering what these guys eat when all you have stocked is bass bream and channels

All fish are opportunists and will eat about anything you put in front of them. I stocked a little over 2 years ago. I started out with 3 to 4 inch channels and later added some 8 to 10 inch ones in a one acre pond. Now I'm trying to catch them out because they have become top line predators; some crowding 5 pounds. They have bluegill in their stomachs and one had 2 small turtles about the size of a silver dollar. I live 70 miles away and can only get there on weekends and occasionally one day during the week. I don't have a feeder and throw feed when I get there. They are getting tough to catch. They eat the Purina and ignore my catfish stink bait if I have caught any within a week. Bluegill are as important for catfish as bass.

I do have have a 35 acre lake with threadfin. I also have blue cats in it. So the blue cats eat the majority of threadfin. Also i have bass, crappie, gar, and freshwater drum. What i was saying in the thing above is if this would be a good combination of forge for a channel cat only pond. I'm tring to get the perfect pond for channels because they are my favorite fish. Also i dont want to use fish pellets because i have to drive 2 hours to get some. I would stock up on them but i want to make sure i have fresh pellets.

Dave Davidson, this is news to me that channels are a signifiacnt player in the food chain....This really socks and baffels me, but I truely bielve you on this. I just now starting wonder about what I have been taught by the 'experts' on pond managment. I was always told that the "safest" pond to manage was: 800 to 200 bluegill and redear, 100 large mouth bass and get this optional channel catfish!
With this I was told the food chain went like this: Fertilizer <-- Plankton and small water bugs and insects <-- Bream <-- Bass. The channels were sort of the odd man out in that no one realy said what they ate...So now it sounds like the channels are like bass and may even eat bass.

Zach it sound like a good mix of forage, but I would worry that you would have to continue to spend money on restocking this forage every year.
Man from what Dave Davidson says, I would do 800 coppernose, 200 redear, and 100 channel cats per acre, and leave the bass out. The channels will forage on the bream like bass would....That way you know you will get a spon the bream and the channels will always have a forage base.

We used to use perch as trotline bait for channels. I think it was Bob Lusk who posted about catfish as a predator. He(?) said that once a channel cat grows to 2 pounds, it is a top line predator. It does a great job of feeding at night on dormant sunfish. I know mine are extremely healthy on sporadic feeding. I find durn near everything in their gut.

Where can I find Bob Lusk's post about this?

I believe Bob went into this in the previous Pond Boss web site that the hackers clobbered.

I'm not sure you can bypass bass and just use cats. Catfish seldom get off successful spawns and might have trouble keeping sunfish under control. Of course, if you don't mind being butt deep in smallish bluegill as catfish chow it might not matter. I'm not sure what might happen in that mix. It seems like it oughta be ok.

Any pros out there who have run into this scenario?

Yes where are the experts

I think the "experts" are working. I'm behind on paperwork myself, but quickly in response. MOst folks here know pond management is more art than science. You have to take a proactive approach to pond management, but also need to be reactive according to conditions in the pond. The traditional stocking Big-POnd mentioned has worked for years and a good one. However all ponds are different. You may have to tweak things a little. Many folks want many others species and post those questions here. Bream, bass and a few cahnnel catfish is easier than other predators, etc.

Question? What do channel catfish eat?
I'm no authority, but they consume much of the same as bluegill when smaller, except they also fed off decomposing materials, detetriuos falling to the bottom. I don't believe they intentionally eat plants but may consume some at times. Once they reach larger sizes that is when they can start consuming more fish. However, this is my advice. If you have kids stock 200 channel cats/AC, feed them and they will grow and be easy to catch b/c they are more agressive. Once they are eating size harvest them and limit the number of 3 lb plus catfish if bass is your goal.

I have said it before but this board is sometimes frustating b/c most answers like mine above can be general and confusing to others. This is why having a qualified professional answer specfic questions about your particular pond with your particualr goals in mind is a worth wild investment.