Ken, thanks for the input. Can you please elaborate on catfish becoming pests.
Thanks!
I've had mine mostly under control for so long, I've probably forgotten many of the unpleasntries they will put you through.
Probably the biggest issue is that if you are feeding your fish, they work just like big vacuum cleaners when the pellets hit the water. They open their mouths and skim the surface taking in every pellet they can. Once they get above about the 14-16 inch range they quickly dominate the feedings, making it difficult for the bluegill (or trout, if you put them in for the winter) to get anything, including the crumbs.
At some point in the 14-18 inch range, they become pescetarians -- no, they dont get religion, they become fish eaters. Once they get much larger than that, they start to become the top line predators of the pond and they not only compete with the bass for the bluegill, but they eat your bass too!
Then there is the spring break roudiness sex parties. At some point they are going to want to reproduce. My worst problems wére the leg-fracturing caves they would excavate into the banks on the steep side of my bigger pond. If you are familiar with catfish "noodling", these guys are often sticking their hands into these types of caves to pull out the big cats.
The other problem during their mating times is the muddiness of the pond, blocking out the sunlight, which then prevent sunlight penetration, which cuts way down on the production of phytoplankton. It is the main food source for the bluegill and bass fry.
Those are probably the biggest issues that come to mind.
As I said in one of the posts above, there is a place for channel cats. In much smaller quantities, where they are harvested before they get to about 22-24 inches, they are great. They grow fast. They are fun to catch -- just don't throw any back because of quickly learned hookshyness. They are delicious and can be substituted for many other freshwater and saltwater fish in recipes.
Good luck,
Ken