All I can add is -- ARE YOU SURE YOU WANT TO ADD THAT MANY CHANNEL CATFISH??
Five hundred catfish in a 5 acre pond can do a lot of damage if they are allowed to grow to maturity.
Maybe our old friend James Holt will see this, and give his opinion.
My ponds are quite a bit smaller, but from experience, I know what too many catfish can do. It ain't pretty. And, they sure are hard to fish out as they get hookshy, while they are digging big caves in the sides of your ponds and gobbling everything within sight, smell, and vibration.
As for temperature of stocking, and what to stock now, I agree fully with Cecil's suggestions.
I agree with you catmandoo!!! CC's are serious predators. Hook-shy is exactly right after they've been caught a few times.
NRAInstructer,The minnows you add now will just be a real short time fix. I'd seriously doubt they would last a week with all the other predators in your pond.
What type of structure do you have in your pond? Just asking because structure will give a lot of smaller fish a chance to grow bigger.
