Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Newly Constructed Ponds for Catfish

I have a pretty decent bass pond on my property and have another pond that is newly constructed, about 2 acres, that I am wanting to make my catfish hole. I'm wanting some advice on how to make an awesome catfish habitat/fishing hole. Any advice is welcome:

What to feed them bait fish/dry food?
What to plant trees/brush/shrubs?
What kind of underwater structures to put in place?
Should I test and treat the water?
What kind of catfish?


Basically just anything to make it an exceptional place. Thanks guys!

Welcome to the forum. Lots of info here and great helpful folks. Tell us a little more about your pond , depth, shape , is it full? Have you had your water checked ?where are you located? There is a bunch of Texas guys on here

Thanks for the welcome. Both ponds were recently dug by the highway department, for the dirt that I sold them. One is basically a square shape and the other is a rectangle. My plan is too connect the two ponds together with about a 16' wide canal and build a bridge across for my driveway (another topic). That is depending on elevation between the two ponds though for obvious reasons. The square pond has varying water depths from 4' to 8', the rectangle has from a few inches tapering into 8-10'. I do want to get the water tested and while the ponds are partially dry and I have a good canvas I want to make them the best that I can. I am in north east texas. Thanks

Justin, welcome to PB.

What is your closest town?

Good point on having the water tested. Also, get a soil test. In pine tree country, the water often needs to be limed and then fertilized for fish to survive and thrive. Oak tree country is different. The water quality is dependent on the soil properties.

Are the ponds holding water OK?

I see from your previous post that you have some 6 inch wells to fill and maintain the ponds. Do you also get decent run off? Well water has limited oxygen. So, run the water over some sort of baffles like rocks to break it up and oxygenate it. You can and should install aeration systems but not fountains. Fountains look nice but don't do much good. I tell people that fountains are like race horses and beauty contest winners. They look nice; are expensive to acquire and maintain but don't do a lick of work.

In a pure catfish pond, I would probably avoid bluegills. Cats can't keep up with BG reproduction in the South and that could give you an over supply with a resulting oxygen crash. Consider hybrid bluegills. They have limited reproduction and grow pretty well in our warm climate.

I would use channel cats only with a feeder and feed Purina Game Fish Chow or another quality 32% protein feed like Cargill. Avoid bargain priced feed. A lot of that stuff has high protein but uses chicken feathers that is not digestible by fish. They will eat it but it does little for them.

Pickrel is a nice plant with limited spreading. You are going to get some other weeds and may, at some point, need to add grass carp. This year has seen a lot of noxious weed growth in Texas ponds.

I wouldn't worry a lot about structure with a catfish pond. My personal preference is cedars.

BTW, have you considered Hybrid Stripers either in lieu of or with the cats? The only downside to the Stripers is that catching them in hot weather generally kills them.

Have fun.

Thanks for all the great advice. Texarkana, TX would be the closest large town to me.

The ponds seem to be holding water well, we had plenty of rain earlier this year so a well seems kind of silly at the moment. I have a couple of places on Red River that took a beating. However, coming out of the drought we have had, its always in the back of my mind. My plan is to make a "rock river bed" to run the well water through before it enters the pond.

Are the Kasco aerators good quality units?

I definitely want to install some feeders. After doing some research I considered stocking with fathead minnows awhile in advance and building them some breeding habitats before I stock with CC.

One place I read also said something about not building alot of breeding structures in my pond, why would this be? Overpopulation maybe?

Thanks again for your help.