Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations When to thin fish & which ones?

I have a small lake with big channel catfish (7-8 lbs.) They are not reproducing. Should we thin some out before I restock or just let them keep growing? What size are the best to keep for spawning? The catfish are reproducing in my lower lake, I am thinking about restocking from it.

Your catfish may be reproducing but the fry are being eaten in no time by predator fish. Catfish fry are easily preyed about as they initially swim around in dense balls of fish. On the other hand, catfish need hiding places to spawn in and if there are none then spawning is negligible. Commercial farms use milk cans etc.

Provided cover like milk cans could solve both of your problems.

Dear catfish spawner:

As pondmeister Cecil in Indiana points out, catfish need special habitat or they will not spawn. Our experience in small, earthen, dugout-style "tanks" or ponds in Texas is that catfish have about a 50-50 chance of reproducing enough to maintain their population numbers.

But if your a catfish man, there's good news: Catfish fingerlings and sub-adults are readily available. Young channel cats may be purchased, at various sizes, from a number of outlets, for pennies.

Check the resource guide in the magazine. Most any fisheries consultant will sell you channel catfish, at competitive prices. Even advanced c-cats are no more than $1.50 a pound.

So why wait for your fish to spawn next spring before you stock one of your ponds?

Mark McDonald
Editor, Pond Boss

Catfish Recruitment. Ponds in the north with numerous weeds or weed beds present almost always have survival of the catfish spawns and all sizes present. However barren ponds or ponds with just a few fish structures rarely have young catfish due to the reasons explained by Cecil B. above.