Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Evaluating and adjusting fish populations Too many big catfish

Hey Cat, Great job on the big cat! I am glad that this one was more table friendly. How did the snapper go over? Soup, slowcooker? Did you save and dry the shell?

Maki

Hey folks, cats from ponds will (almost) always have an "off" flavor. In rivers, there's no moss or algae, and I believe that's the issue. Soak your filets in a weak lemon juice/water mix (maybe 10:1 or so) for just 10 or 15 minutes just before you dry well and bread. It firms the meat (if caught in warmer months) and just makes them taste great.

Also, when you're trimming the filets, be sure to get ALL the yellowish stained meat off. That's fat and really makes them taste bad. Any silver lining from belly filets is the same...scrub brush makes short work of that stuff.

I catch all the cats I want from my pond, although rod and reel can be tough. Get a plastic pop bottle, tie on maybe 24" of HEAVY mono (I use 40 lb Trilene BigCat) and add a 4/0 or 5/0 circle hook. Hook a BG (big enough the bass won't mess with 'em - I use 5-6" fish) right behind the dorsal fin, not through the spine. Toss it out, away from any trees, just about sundown. Get out some heavy tackle the next morning and cast a bit treble hook out to snag the drop line. It's a BLAST! Sometimes I have to take the boat out to get 'em, because it's amazing how long a cat can hold down that bottle...picture the beer keg scene from "JAWS".

Managing Off-Flavor Problems
in Pond-Raised Catfish

http://srac.tamu.edu/tmppdfs/13092343-192fs.pdf

Maki -- His parts are still in the freezer. I ran out of time to do anything -- but it will be good when I do! My favorite is a thick stew slow cooked in a cast iron dutch oven. As for his shell ... well, I air conditioned it. Many years ago I found that shooting them in the shell, just where their neck goes in, renders them pretty dead, pretty quickly. But, it does mess up the shell.

Matt -- I always skin my cats using a knife, just like I would skin a bass or bluegill. But, I also skin the inside of the belly meat. The belly meat makes fantastic "fingers" when dipped in beer batter and deep fried. This particlar critter was especially good. And, yes, I do "skin out" all of the fat.

Since I got the one big one that is shown in the picture, the other big ones have disappeared completely. When I go down to feed in the evening, I've got a bunch of 18 to 22 inchers that show up, plus the big grass carp, the bluegill, and a few silly bass. But, the big guys have just plain disappeared. There should be at least another 7 to 9 about the size of the one in the photo. I've fished several evenings this past week with rod and reel, but nothing.

I've tried jug fishing with bluegill, liver, and hot dogs (at separate times) using treble hooks and large circle hooks. Only once recently have I hooked what I assume was a catfish. The jug took off like it had a 75 hp engine. It went out to about the middle of the pond, where it went under water for several seconds. Then it floated to the top. I'm not sure what happened. The 30-lb., Stren line was broken about 3-feet below the jug. The line from the jug to the hook/sinker was about 7-feet long.

My other tries in the pond with a jug have resulted in catching bass! That is also what got the snapping turtle discussed above.

And EWEST, thanks for the link. I spent about an hour last night reading some of the many great papers on there. That is a real great collection of papers for pond owners.

Lastly -- several friends have seen the picture of the "big one." I've now got lots of "volunteers" who have said they'll come over and try to help me out.

Good fishn,

Ken

That may be the best catfish removal aid of all.

catmandoo- you should enter junior in the private pond record website:

http://www.ligtel.com/~jjbaird/pprf/pprf.htm