Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Channel Cat advice needed.

Danno -- welcome to Pond Boss.

Wow. 400 channel cats in that size pond. The fish dealer saw you coming, and I'm sure he was grinning when he saw you leaving.

As usual, our friend CJBS nailed the advice better than I ever could have.

I put about twenty-five 10-12 inch catfish into my 0.7 acre pond every two years. They grow fairly quickly to 18-24 inches. There are always a few 30+ inchers left. That many channel cats gives us a pretty good catfish fry more than once a month during the warm season. The 22-inch catfish I took in the other evening gave me 2-1/2 lbs of bone-free/skin-free filets. Cut into chicken nugget size pieces, battered and fried, that will make enough pieces for 4-6 of us. We also always supplement with other culls from the pond, like lots of 6-9 inch bluegill, and a few bass. In the springtime, we add some smoked trout.

The bottom line is to only put in enough channel cats to pull out in one or two seasons. Otherwise, they become real pests when they either over populate or they grow to gargantuan size.

Good luck,
Ken