Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Evaluating and adjusting fish populations Catfish

Ottis -- first, welcome to Pond Boss.

I went through something similar when we bought our current home about 8-9 years ago. My main pond is not much larger than yours -- 0.7 acres at most. Our pond also had some bluegill, bass -- and unfortunately some crappie. The whole pond was a mess due to excessive runoff from a nearby cattle pasture and huge ravines that were filling the pond with silt and mud.

It is how I found Pond Boss, and I've been here ever since.

I did eventually get the big channel cats removed, but it took several years of fishing and luck. The best thing was a "turn-over" after a big storm, where the bottom water, without oxygen, got mixed into the entire pond after a big storm. As far as I know, all of the big catfish died from the turnover.

I started all over. Since then, I added another pond that is maybe about 1/4 quarter acre. The main pond will get no more additions of channel catfish. It is becoming my trophy blugegill pond. It will have a limited number of bluegill, and large numbers of starving largemouth bass.

The newer pond is strictly a channel catfish and hybrid bluegill pond, although it will probably have winter trout and hybrid striped bass in small quantities.

If you must, think about getting rid of everything alive in your pond and starting over. It doesn't take long to grow fish in a rehabilitated pond.

There are multiple ways of killing off everything in your pond.

You can hire someone to do it. Generally, they will use rotenone. It is a compound very similar to nicotine, and found in a number of plants. Rotenone is now regulated, so you may not be able to do it yourself without an applicator's permit.

Alternatively, you can pump your pond down with something like a semi-trash or trash pump. A 2-inch semi-trash pump can be purchased for about $300 with hoses. You can also rent a much larger "trash pump" for a day or two. When you get the water down significantly, there are several legal and very safe methods of eliminating whatever you don't wish to save. Hydrated lime, ammonia, or chlorine bleach are very effective, and are readily available.

Keep providing info and asking questions. We can get help make your pond a safe and fun place to visit.

Ken