Pond Boss Forums POND CONSTRUCTION Creating habitat Catfish Cave Construction

During the winter I constructed catfish caves for my channel cats to spawn. I used two five gallon buckets wired together at the mouth. I cut a entrance hole about 8 inches in diameter in one end as well as holes drilled throught out so that air could escape. I set a couple out about 3 weeks ago. Earlier this week I found one floating and the buzzards had started to accumulate. When I retrieved the cave I found three of my monster catfish stuck in the cave and had died. It took a while to get them out.

Two Questions.

1. Should I have cut openings in both end of the buckets?

2. I can understand two catfish in the cave, but why would their had been a third?

I think that was just a fluke. However, I think I would have cut the entire bottom out of one. Maybe you need more of the caves.

I would cut the bottom out or try to find something large in diameter for the catfish. What are the size of these monster catfish?

a couple years ago i stocked my 3/4 acre pond in nc with 50 5 inch Channel cats. this year with the drought, i observed approx 10 or so caves dug into the side of the pond.

nature will provide a way..............

Answer to Question 1. Maybe. They may have just been too big for the 5-gallon buckets.

Several years ago I dropped a number of pieces of various-length 8-inch and 10-inch PVC pipe into my pond. I didn't block either end. I did this because the catfish were digging caves in my pond banks.





I've had some survival from the spawns. I know that the white catfish have definitely been successful. I suspect that my channel cats have also been successful. I've caught channel cats that were too small to have been in the pond otherwise.

I added another 50 channel 5-6 inch cats earlier this fall.

Answer to Question 2.

M�nage � trois????