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#380433 - 06/23/14 10:11 PM
Re: Stocking Blue Catfish?
[Re: teehjaeh57]
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Lunker
Registered: 07/28/05
Posts: 4399
Loc: Raymond, NE
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Before I jump the gun again on recommending nuking the existing fishery and starting over, it would be a cool experiment to stock FHC and BC and monitor their performance. Since Corey is planning on starting over down the road anyhow, if he stocked 25-50 BC and FHC per acre this Fall he might end up with a nice sized BOW featuring trophy cats [and probably trophy BG and LMB - the few one could manage to catch]. I think BC and FHC can grow pretty fast - in 3 years might have some fish pushing 20#. I haven't been trophy catfishing in a long time...my muskie rods and level winds need a workout! I like your plan TJ. The only thing I might do a little different is ladder stock the catfish, a small number the first year, a higher number the second year, and maybe even a higher number in year three. The smaller initial stocking with less competition will become the trophy class, the higher density subsequent stockings will be for carp control.
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#380434 - 06/23/14 10:21 PM
Re: Stocking Blue Catfish?
[Re: 77-Style]
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Lunker
Registered: 08/20/04
Posts: 946
Loc: SC Nebraska
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I was thinking about doing that shorty. But I'm concerned that the first year BC will eliminate any subsequent stockings. Maybe I can grow them in cages til 12" or so.
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#380436 - 06/23/14 10:22 PM
Re: Stocking Blue Catfish?
[Re: 77-Style]
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Lunker
Registered: 08/20/04
Posts: 946
Loc: SC Nebraska
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Also I have no idea where to get a significant number of stocker flatheads. So they may not be a realistic option.
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#380441 - 06/23/14 11:39 PM
Re: Stocking Blue Catfish?
[Re: NEDOC]
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Registered: 04/15/13
Posts: 274
Loc: illinois
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I don't know much about BC, but flatheads will eventually eat every fish in your pond of 1/2 acre. Yep, you will have some big flatheads but nothing else and the flatheads will only grow until they run out of food. It happened to a guy up the road who had a pond with too many little bluegill. He only pu 2 flatheads, one 10 pound and one 8 pounds out of our local river in to control the BG. When he drained the pond 7 or 8 years later to clean it out, the 2 catfish were the only fish in it. One was about 25 lb and the other about 18. A few would be okay in a much larger pond or lake.
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#380442 - 06/24/14 12:03 AM
Re: Stocking Blue Catfish?
[Re: 77-Style]
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Chairman, Pond Boss Legacy award; Moderator; field correspondent
Lunker
Registered: 01/22/08
Posts: 8244
Loc: Lincoln, NE
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Great point Poppy - smaller bows can't withstand the pressure of apex predators with that top end size potential. However, in this case we're looking at a 20 acre BOW - so I think the stocking strategy I recommended will be OK. Ladder stocking via Steve is a good idea, providing you can source the cats seasonally which is not a given. Remember, Corey has rather waived the white flag on managing the current sport fishery and his new goals are shifting to allow cats to grow on all available forage - so maybe subsequent stocking of Gizzard shad and bullhead would be beneficial down the road? One of my dream projects was a larger bow [10 acres+] stocked with BC, CC and FHC with the goal of growing trophy cats and everything else considered forage...I think this is an awesome project and don't know it's ever been performed before. Groundbreaking stuff!
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Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after. ~ Henry David Thoreau
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#380453 - 06/24/14 07:18 AM
Re: Stocking Blue Catfish?
[Re: 77-Style]
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Lunker
Registered: 08/20/04
Posts: 946
Loc: SC Nebraska
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I would love it if the only fish remaining were large BC and FHC. In fact I'd say that's my goal at this point. I highly doubt they'll ever eradicate all of the carp though.
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#380475 - 06/24/14 11:15 AM
Re: Stocking Blue Catfish?
[Re: NEDOC]
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Lunker
Registered: 06/30/07
Posts: 3794
Loc: Plano Texas
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I would love it if the only fish remaining were large BC and FHC. In fact I'd say that's my goal at this point. I highly doubt they'll ever eradicate all of the carp though. When Overton acquired his existing fish farm more than ten years ago, it was called Catfish Meadows: "The D&B strain of blue catfish got its name at the D&B Fish Farm in Crockett TX which has since gone out of business. This strain was also shared by the Catfish Meadows hatchery and continues to exist as broodstock and fingerlings." We have a 12+lb Overton BC in our little pond for biomass control. I want to remove it but it is still doing it's job and son Jeff keeps it as his pet...  George
Edited by george1 (06/24/14 11:34 AM)
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N.E. Texas 2 acre and 1/4 acre ponds Original george #173 (22 June 2002)
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#380480 - 06/24/14 11:43 AM
Re: Stocking Blue Catfish?
[Re: 77-Style]
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Lunker
Registered: 08/20/04
Posts: 946
Loc: SC Nebraska
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Awesome George. Thanks for sharing. I had been looking over Overton's sight and was hoping to find a way to retrieve their strain all the way to Nebraska.
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#380483 - 06/24/14 11:58 AM
Re: Stocking Blue Catfish?
[Re: george1]
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Lunker
Registered: 06/30/07
Posts: 3794
Loc: Plano Texas
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Betcha could make it happen! I would love to have a pond/lake full of BlueCat and Common Carp. Carp are now being seriously pursued and now called "Golden Bones" by some fly fishermen. They will put a run into the backing that will stand up the hair on the baci of your neck - BC will make you think you have a bear by the tail...  G/
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N.E. Texas 2 acre and 1/4 acre ponds Original george #173 (22 June 2002)
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#380485 - 06/24/14 12:16 PM
Re: Stocking Blue Catfish?
[Re: 77-Style]
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Lunker
Registered: 08/20/04
Posts: 946
Loc: SC Nebraska
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Improving the size of Carp in the pond is actually another one of the benefits that has played into my stocking strategy. For the last 15-20 yrs I have not seen a carp above 3 lbs. Maybe a bunch of BC and FHC will thin them out to the point that I get some monsters in there. Or better yet, maybe they will all be gone 
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#380489 - 06/24/14 12:21 PM
Re: Stocking Blue Catfish?
[Re: 77-Style]
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Chairman, Pond Boss Legacy award; Moderator; field correspondent
Lunker
Registered: 01/22/08
Posts: 8244
Loc: Lincoln, NE
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Trophy FHC and BC all night, then in the morning flycast for some 20# CGC - sounds like a very unique plan that can work. It would be the first of it's kind, I believe, and a total blast.
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Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after. ~ Henry David Thoreau
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#380515 - 06/24/14 03:02 PM
Re: Stocking Blue Catfish?
[Re: 77-Style]
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Lunker
Registered: 08/20/04
Posts: 946
Loc: SC Nebraska
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I'm very interested to see if there will be water quality/clarity changes and vegetative changes with a diminished carp population. Like Teejaeh said, it's very unique and unusual plan. It'll essentially be a big experiment for me.
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#380532 - 06/24/14 06:16 PM
Re: Stocking Blue Catfish?
[Re: 77-Style]
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Chairman, Pond Boss Legacy award; Moderator; field correspondent
Lunker
Registered: 01/22/08
Posts: 8244
Loc: Lincoln, NE
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I think one can safely assume clarity will improve with reduction of CGC, along with it increased aquatic vegetation, and healthier water.
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Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after. ~ Henry David Thoreau
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#380541 - 06/24/14 07:19 PM
Re: Stocking Blue Catfish?
[Re: teehjaeh57]
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Registered: 10/05/13
Posts: 5537
Loc: SE Kansas
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Son had a couple BC they had bought from the pet store and raised in an aquarium. They let them go in their one acre pond I refurbished for them. We stocked it with 5-6" BG this spring along with some FHM and about ten CC and some RES fingerlings. Will put some LMB in next year.
I hope the two BC are not a mistake, but think they will be ok as long as they catch them out and eat them before they get too big. Have no clue to what the gender of the two BC were.
Pet store told them they were the same BC that were used to stock ponds with. That is all I know about their origin.
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#380574 - 06/25/14 07:59 AM
Re: Stocking Blue Catfish?
[Re: 77-Style]
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Lunker
Registered: 08/20/04
Posts: 946
Loc: SC Nebraska
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** as the big apex predators slam the trash fish, DO will go up from fewer consumers and transformed biomass **
That's an excellent point I hadn't considered Rainman. Thanks.
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#419934 - 07/31/15 10:52 AM
Re: Stocking Blue Catfish?
[Re: 77-Style]
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Lunker
Registered: 08/20/04
Posts: 946
Loc: SC Nebraska
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I wanted to bump this thread to see if anyone was wanting to share recent experiences with Blue Catfish. With the help of TJ, I'm about to embark on an attempt at a trophy blue catfishery and was gathering as much info as I can.
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#419938 - 07/31/15 01:27 PM
Re: Stocking Blue Catfish?
[Re: 77-Style]
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Registered: 06/02/13
Posts: 525
Loc: TN, Lakeland
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We have a pond with BC and FHC that started getting stock around 8 years ago. Some of our BC are in the upper 20's with a few in the 30's. Can't catch them on CC baits what so ever. It's always got to be fresh cut bait or live BG.
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#419944 - 07/31/15 02:54 PM
Re: Stocking Blue Catfish?
[Re: 77-Style]
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Registered: 09/06/11
Posts: 2315
Loc: Northeast Ohio
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What do you have for forage fish in that Catfish pond Snakebite? Also, what are all the types of fish in that pond?
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#419948 - 07/31/15 04:27 PM
Re: Stocking Blue Catfish?
[Re: Snakebite]
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Lunker
Registered: 08/20/04
Posts: 946
Loc: SC Nebraska
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Thanks Snakebite. That's exciting to read. I'm really hoping for my Blue Cats to wipe out my carp population and explode in size in the process.
Did you/ Do you feed your BC pellets? Do the FHC show up to pellets ever? How many per acre did you stock?
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#419952 - 07/31/15 06:58 PM
Re: Stocking Blue Catfish?
[Re: 77-Style]
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Registered: 06/02/13
Posts: 525
Loc: TN, Lakeland
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@fishnchips forage fish BG,RES,Mosquito Fish,GSH, FHM,Crayfish,Bull frogs. BCP,LMB,GC,CC all in good size ranges.
@ NEDOC we feed right before dusk, CC mostly come up, but in the spring or fall the BC will come in as well.
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Forced to work born to Fish
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#419955 - 07/31/15 09:51 PM
Re: Stocking Blue Catfish?
[Re: 77-Style]
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Lunker
Registered: 08/20/04
Posts: 946
Loc: SC Nebraska
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Thanks YolkSac. That's interesting. A 25 lb fish in Nebraska on a crank bait is hard for me to even imagine!
Edited by NEDOC (07/31/15 09:52 PM)
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