Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Evaluating and adjusting fish populations Catfish problem!! please help!!

OK I have been aprt of this forum and have studied fish managment foir YEARS naow. Have had several ponds my self over the past 10 years.

As everyone who know me by now. I am big into growing Large trophy size catfish. This has alway been my major discusion on here for the past 7 or 8 years.

Here what the issues is. I built a 9 acre lake about 7 years ago and about and I stocked approx ~ 250 Blue Cats and about 350 to 400 channles. Also stocked bream and year later tiger bass. This was done about 6 or 7 years ago. I have had feeders of various kinds on the pond off and on at various different times. When I first had the feeder out there about 6 years ago I had tons of both blue and channel catfish just tearing up the feed. they would nearly come out of the water to get the stuff. Quit a sight to see really. But it seem as over the years as the fish grow this activity has slowed to now it is almost completly stopped! It seems the blues quit the earliest first now the channels have quit.

Now I have had some issues with poachers and I have other fishing the pond. I have strees to people I let fish that the cats are catch and release ONLY! I have stressed this Highly now I know people break this rule some times but I know that did not get all the fish!

Here are my questions: Is it possible that over time that channels out grow the want to eat fish pellets? Do blues do the same?
Or Could it be that I have some really dis-honest folk out here stealing?

This has been the biggest dileama I have faced thus far...

Please I know an exprianced pond owner should not be asking these questions, but things are sort of desprate for me on this and sometimes a different perspective and advice can go along way!
Please help!

Set a couple of lines with cut shad and see what you catch. Have you seen any offspring ? How long has the not eating pellets lasted ?

I've found that the catfish are harder to catch in my pond than the LMB are. I know they are in there, and if they see me they don't come up for pellets.

Maybe get an electro shock boat in there if you don't catch any on the trot lines. Or invest in a Fyke net.

my guess is that they are still in the pond. It would take a lot of poaching to take out that many fish in a nine acre lake.

I heard the shock boats don't work too well on stuff without scales.

I had the pleasure of being on a shock boat briefly at the Pond Boss Conference and while we didn't shock up a lot of fish, the cats definitely came to the surface.

Catfish shock pretty well under lower settings. I like ewest's idea of using trotlines, or you could do some jug fishing.

Blue cats in particular become high end predators as they grow. A nasty stink bait that will catch 2-4 pound blues all day will rarely if ever catch large ones. Live or fresh cut shad will though... So, perhap your cats have reached the size class where pellets just don’t interest them anymore?

Now see this is what I am wondering! Hvae the cats just out grown pellets? Can they out grow pellets? If they have it is all good and OK...This is the reason for the post.

There has to be someone who has exprianced this!!!

Don't have much to add other than the fact, my Catfish are not coming up for feed either, which is definitely unusual. By this time of year, they are all over it. I normally attribute it to slowing down during spawn but I think it's too early for that, at least here with the weather and water temps the way it has been. My CC are in the 8 Lb range.

Mine are still coming and have never stopped. I caught one CC last weekend that went 11 pounds.

When mine won't feed, I think of poachers.

Mine just started coming tonight, never know about these guys.