Pond Boss Forums Thread Like Summary - Channel Catfish Pond. Adding Other Species?

I am still planning my ponds in south-central Kansas. I would like a small pond (0.5 - 1 acres) for channel catfish. The goal is to have a catching and eating pond always available when there are no other gamefish scheduled for significant culling in the other ponds.

A lot of the literature suggests that a CC monoculture pond is the easiest to manage. The simplest management strategy is pellet feeding and no structure for spawning (since CC-only ponds can get quickly overpopulated after good spawns.)

I would like to add RES for some parasite intervention. However, I have not seen this as a common recommendation for CC ponds.

Question: Since RES and CC both like to forage along the bottom, will the larger adult CC consume all of the RES in a short time period?

I would also like to add some structure to the pond to concentrate the CC for hook & line angling. Even though I would not be adding their "preferred" type of spawning structure, there is still a lot of pressure on the fish to spawn if it is at all possible. (Or I could deliberately add a few spawning culverts to try and create a self-sustaining CC pond.)

The articles I have read about spawning CC ponds usually mention LMB as the predator to keep the CC numbers in check. They suggest that the LMB are quite efficient at hoovering up almost all of the CC fry. However, I am worried that as the LMB get larger, they would then also be consuming the 7-10" catfish that are most efficient at converting pellet feed to body mass.

Question: What about adding a predator with a smaller mouth gape such as HSB?

I could absolutely control the number of predators since the HSB don't reproduce. Would they be just as good as LMB at eating up the small fry, BUT better at leaving the fingerlings due to the smaller mouth gape?

If so, would the HSB prefer to eat the feed pellets, or would they still prey on the CC fry when they are available?

Finally, if the HSB are not keeping the CC numbers in check, would adding a few single-sex LMB be a good idea at that point to get the pond back in balance?

Thanks for the help,
FishinRod

Also excellent advice, jpsdad.

Usually the best "poor boy" practice is to let the professionals do their job - since they have more experience and better facilities. I seriously doubt I could generate 1-2" fry for 20 cents each!

OTOH, I am not shy about throwing out my crazy ideas onto the PB forum. If the experts deem it only "half-crazy", then I might do it for the fun and learning experience, rather that actually saving money.