Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Evaluating and adjusting fish populations Converting a 16-acre pond into something better

This speaks volumes. It tells me you won't feed. You won't buy fyke nets. You won't do electrofishing. You won't purchase fish to stock. And likely plan on transporting adult fish from other state waters. There is a lot of good blue and flathead water in your state. But now there is some regret of having done this and anglers are highly discouraged from moving THESE species to new waters. To catch large catfish, I don't understand why you wouldn't just use the waters where they currently exist for free as they grow large fish without any effort or expense on your part.

I wouldn't want to expend money on this project either. The problem is that the obstacles faced are complex and are not easily or cheaply solved.



Blue cat recruitment probably won't happen. But even if it does, they will grow much slower in that BOW than in the waters their parents came from.



This will only happen on your budget through harvest. You need help thinning the herd. Just a few thoughts.

There are too many CC but they aren't too small at 1/2 lbs to eat. There is actually market for them and similar sized BH for restaurants that sell pan-fried catfish. Two 1/2 lb CC make a good meal for 1 person. They are EASY to clean and below is a video that describes the same method my grandfather taught me 48 years ago. He called it "shucking".



If the pond supports 150 lbs/acre of CC. Then there may be 2400 lbs of CC in the BOW. If you harvested 1200 lbs of CC today, then the remaining fish could grow to a pound. Now I ask again. How will you and your friend solve this problem alone? You need help because all you intend to put into this is your time.

So what about a neighborhood fish fry where you could recruit and enhance interest in harvesting the overcrowded fish? If you want the place to yourself I think you will only have more of the same ad infinitum. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing if you can appreciate the resource for what it is.

The carp aren't helping you. The small ones you see are just a little too large for the predators. Maybe you could have some tournaments for largest number caught. I don't know. They require a very tenacious predator.

Finally, about returning fish to the pond in chunks. Make sure the species you are doing this with are legal to use in this way. The chunks must be small enough for the "tiny" fish to eat. If not cut small enough there will be a turtle explosion and instead of catching lots of CC there will be turtles that get to the bait before them.