Thanks for the kind words. I check the AquaNic site on a regular basis, but there just aren't many contributors. I'm convinced there are a lot of academics that check the site, but are too stuffy to contribute or help someone out. This is a great site thanks to Pond Boss, all their staff, and friendly contributors -- so welcome aboard.
Maybe your Scandanavian strain are a strain from a river by that name in the northwest?
Since your invoice said "scan" steelheads is it possible it actaully said "skam" steelheads which is referring to skamania steelhead? If you are not aware, these are a strain of steelhead that are originally from the Skamania river in the northwest and are commonly now planted in the Great Lakes. They tend to be very elongated but have a thick peduncle and large tails. They are very acrobatic on the hook and strong.
Does the invoice actually say "Scandanavian?" If so, next time you talk to the supplier ask him the significance of the "Scandanavian" title. I would like to know.
It is very likely your trout are more aggressive than the catfish, especially since the water temps may be below the catfishs' perferences. Cats do well in water up into the 80's and trout are at their peak in mid 50's to mid 60's. If that is the case, you should catch a cat eventually, but the trout will usually beat the trout to the bait.
Trout are really agressive fish and will even roil up the bottom of a pond like carp. (I had one clear the surface the other day and if I didn't know better I would have thought it was a monster carp. However I know it was a big fat brown at least 10 lbs.
As far as stirring up the bottom, (roiling) I have this problem in the pond that I have trout in. The pond has a very soft clay bottom. I have rectified the problem somewhat for now by running my aerated well water through the pond running out the turbid water. Once water temps drop into the 30's I will be able to shut the well down as the trout will slow down considerably. When I do a complete harvest next fall or late summer, I plan on taking Bob Lusk's advice, and after draining, putting in a heavy sand and stone layer to cover up the clay. A liner is out of the question as I have too many boulders and rocks in the pond.
I hope I helped and didn't ramble too much.
Cecil
