Pond Boss Forums INTRO New Forum Member Introduction hello everyone

found this site a couple weeks ago when surching for catfish info.i currently live in illinois but im in the process of buying property in kentucky. it has 4 ponds two are over 100 ft across roughly 10 to 12 foo deep already have fish numbers unknown. will be getting a subscription when done moving and will be picking you fine people's brains working toward a decent food sorce pond for my family figure anything over 5 to 8 pounds will be catch and release once again hi all

Welcome jimmyg!

I've found that if I do any catch and release with channel catfish (CC) in my pond, I never catch them again.

If the ponds have been around for 3+ years, you can google "acme planimeter", find that property and use that tool to accurately measure the area of each of the ponds.

thanx essup do you think they just learned not to bite if so they would still be there to spawn

Its not natural for them to be hooked so they get hooked once and learned to avoid hooks.

Plus, if there isn't spawning habitat in the pond for CC, they won't reproduce. They are cavity spawners - they don't make a bed like BG or LMB, nor do they broadcast their eggs like YP.

I've tagged CC in my pond, and have never caught one again. One was caught on a floating 5" long Rapala, in April of 2009, tagged, and hasn't been caught yet.

I fin clipped every one of the last batch (100 fish) of CC that I stocked in the pond (Stocked May of 2009). I have not caught a small CC that has not been fin clipped. The smallest ones now are around 5#-7# (When caught in 2011). Largest? Well, the one that was tagged in 2009 was just shy of 15# then.

nice i will be adding some type of culvert prob. concrete so they can spawn. the owner said hes caught fish one 22 lbs. and as far as i know hasnt had any prob. recatching his fish.