Pond Boss Forums STOCKING A NEW POND Types of fish to choose Catfish or no?

Have a 1 acre sized pond that was stocked last March with around 1500 4-6 inch bluegill and 200 redear and also 20# of gambusia and fathead minnows. I then stocked fingerling F1 bass in June which are growing nicely. I saw one that was a very close if not a pound which amazes me how fast there growing. I would like to add just a few CC no more than 50. My bluegill are fed and my goal is trophy bass. Would putting a few CC in to my pond hurt the growth of my bass due to reduced numbers of bluegill? And if it wouldn't hurt to much I might let one or two grow as big as they can. I would be feeding the CC if I got them also.

If you enjoy catfishin', put 'em in.

Catfish will "compete" with Bass for the same forage base.

But if you stock a small number of catfish and don't have ideal breeding habitat for catfish then it is unlikely that a few catfish will wreak havoc on your bass goals.

I do have a few tires in. Do you think that could pose a problem?

The tires will be spawning habitat for the CC. If your goal is to grow large LMB, I wouldn't stock them. Any food that they potentially take away from the LMB is the downside.

Once they get around 3#, they start eating fish. So, it's like having more LMB in the pond.