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Joined: Sep 2014
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OP
Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 1,609 Likes: 28 |
howdy everyone! I'm back!! My 2 acre pond is now 10 years old and I have nothing but lmb and huge coppernose bluegill. bluegill weigh over one pound each at the largest ones. I have lmb that should be 8-10 pounds but can't catch them. I finally have decided to stock channel cats to be able to catch something easier and good to eat!! My wife and i are NOT getting any younger. We want to CATCH big fish! I feed year round and have aeriation year round. Again, it is 2 acres and 12 foot deep in the deep end. Is NOW the time of year to stock catfish??? How many and how big for this pond???
Dear Alcohol, We had a deal where you would make me funnier, smarter, and a better dancer... I saw the video... We need to talk.
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Joined: Jan 2009
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Moderator Ambassador Field Correspondent  Lunker
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Moderator Ambassador Field Correspondent  Lunker
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 29,031 Likes: 1013 |
Welcome back! I'd stock the largest CC that you can find (if you can get ones that are 14"-18" they will be too big for the LMB to eat).
Remember that the CC will compete directly for food, i.e. CNBG. If you stock the CC that big, I'd remove them to eat once you catch them. If you think LMB are hook shy, just wait until you catch a CC once or twice and release them back into the pond. You probably will never catch that one again. You probably won't be able to stock them until after Feb 1. That's when most of the fish farms open in the Spring in the South.
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Joined: Dec 2024
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Joined: Dec 2024
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Hello, wonder why the LMB are so hook shy? Too bad you cant catch them but be fun to catch big ole BG whenever you want! I stocked my small pond with CC this past october and looking forward to start havesting them in a year. I plan on adding 25 12" CC every october. Like you im getting old so want to keep a fresh batch growing so i always have fish to catch.
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Joined: Sep 2003
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Moderator Ambassador Field Correspondent Hall of Fame 2014  Lunker
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Moderator Ambassador Field Correspondent Hall of Fame 2014  Lunker
Joined: Sep 2003
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Yeah, with 8-10 lb. LMB, it's going to be tough to know how many stocker CC actually survive predation.
Excerpt from Robert Crais' "The Monkey's Raincoat:" "She took another microscopic bite of her sandwich, then pushed it away. Maybe she absorbed nutrients from her surroundings."
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Joined: Sep 2014
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OP
Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 1,609 Likes: 28 |
ESSUP It is great to be back and glad to see you are still around on here!! Thank you sir!
Dear Alcohol, We had a deal where you would make me funnier, smarter, and a better dancer... I saw the video... We need to talk.
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Joined: May 2004
Posts: 14,281 Likes: 391
Moderator Lunker
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Moderator Lunker
Joined: May 2004
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Do you have any cavities or near cavities in the pond? If so, you may get CC reproduction. Some little CC might survive BG/LMB predation to add to their numbers. A possibility to consider.
"Where there' a willie, there's a way." This Farming Life, BBC
"Live like you'll die tomorrow, but manage your grass like you'll live forever." -S. M. Stirling
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Joined: Sep 2014
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OP
Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 1,609 Likes: 28 |
So are you suggesting not even to attempt the 6-8 inch catfish? Would it be just a waste of money? I DO HAVE about 15 seperate tripods of old tires sunk all over the pond. Would catfish spawn in or around them?? Do I need to stock 10-12 inch catfish? That could get real expensive too? Are there one better breed of channel cat over another? Or are they going to be the same no matter where I buy them? To HOTBIGGUN... my LMB are even some pellet trained but...the largest factor is I have a HUGE supply of large CNBG in the pond!! These bass don't have to chase anything! They just sit around and wait for another fat bluegill to swim by! I have spoiled them!!
Dear Alcohol, We had a deal where you would make me funnier, smarter, and a better dancer... I saw the video... We need to talk.
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Joined: Jan 2009
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Moderator Ambassador Field Correspondent  Lunker
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Moderator Ambassador Field Correspondent  Lunker
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 29,031 Likes: 1013 |
So are you suggesting not even to attempt the 6-8 inch catfish? Would it be just a waste of money? I DO HAVE about 15 seperate tripods of old tires sunk all over the pond. Would catfish spawn in or around them?? Do I need to stock 10-12 inch catfish? That could get real expensive too? Are there one better breed of channel cat over another? Or are they going to be the same no matter where I buy them? To HOTBIGGUN... my LMB are even some pellet trained but...the largest factor is I have a HUGE supply of large CNBG in the pond!! These bass don't have to chase anything! They just sit around and wait for another fat bluegill to swim by! I have spoiled them!! A bass will eat fish that are up to 1/3 their body length or a hair longer depending on the shape of the fish. Channel Cats are CHEAP so stocking larger catfish that won't get eaten is actually cheaper than stocking smaller fish that will get eaten. Channel cats are channel cats. Only one breed. They probably will use the tire tripods to spawn in, providing they aren't in too deep of water and they can get enough O2 during spawning season.
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Joined: Sep 2014
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OP
Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 1,609 Likes: 28 |
Great! I will buy as large catfish i can find. thinking of fattening them up with heavy dose of feed for 1st year then back off feed so they will eat bait i present to them. What do you think of that plan?? When y'all talk about "cans" in the pond for spawning what do you mean? What are the BEST things I could put in there for them to spawn in?? I'm excited to start this new venture!! Thank everyone for your help again!!
Dear Alcohol, We had a deal where you would make me funnier, smarter, and a better dancer... I saw the video... We need to talk.
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Joined: May 2004
Posts: 14,281 Likes: 391
Moderator Lunker
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Moderator Lunker
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 14,281 Likes: 391 |
I've had them spawn in a leaky Rubbermaid water trough turned upside down with a roughly 1 foot diameter hole cut in one end. They are currently spawning in structure that includes tires (triangles and groups of thee tied together side by side), concrete tiles about 2 feet in diameter, and a big 6 foot diameter concrete tile filled with about a dozen Osage Orange fence posts - I do not know which of these structures they are spawning in.
"Live like you'll die tomorrow, but manage your grass like you'll live forever." -S. M. Stirling
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Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 1,609 Likes: 28
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OP
Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 1,609 Likes: 28 |
i will have aeriation and have for 10 years. anybody know about catfish "spawning boxes"? I understand about 32x16 inch with a 6 inch hole cut in one end? Also i have a bunch of 16-24 inch corrugated plastic culvert. could I cut that and how would I keep it from floating? How long would they need to be and...most important...HOW DEEP do i need to put these spawning structures for channel cats?? I'm excited and ready to go to work!!
Dear Alcohol, We had a deal where you would make me funnier, smarter, and a better dancer... I saw the video... We need to talk.
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Joined: Dec 2024
Posts: 17 Likes: 1
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Joined: Dec 2024
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Pondboss made a video about catfish in a smaller pond. He suggests not breeding them so you can control the population. Catfish will breed in a small bucket.. here is a video of cajuns catching catfish in buckets but also shows how and why they use buckets good watch.
https://www.google.com/search?ie=UTF-8&client=tablet-android-samsung-rvo1&source=android-browser&q=catching+catfish+in+buckets#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:1bcf4d88,vid:pWyE-l7C9PA,st:0
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Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 29,031 Likes: 1013
Moderator Ambassador Field Correspondent  Lunker
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Moderator Ambassador Field Correspondent  Lunker
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 29,031 Likes: 1013 |
i will have aeriation and have for 10 years. anybody know about catfish "spawning boxes"? I understand about 32x16 inch with a 6 inch hole cut in one end? Also i have a bunch of 16-24 inch corrugated plastic culvert. could I cut that and how would I keep it from floating? How long would they need to be and...most important...HOW DEEP do i need to put these spawning structures for channel cats?? I'm excited and ready to go to work!! Personally? After experiencing them in my own pond, and seeing what the big ones do to BG populations, I'd stock them in my pond only under a few certain rules. 1) I had an overabundance of forage for both the Bass and Catfish IF my goal was to grow and keep larger bass in the pond. 2) I would not have any reproduction habitat in the pond for the CC. 3) Any CC I caught I'd keep. I have seen first hand just how hard they are to catch after being caught once or twice. They are MUCH harder to catch than bass.
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1 member likes this:
FishinRod |
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Joined: Sep 2014
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OP
Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 1,609 Likes: 28 |
In more research and suggestions from ya'll...i am NOT going to try to get them to spawn and will NOT add any more structure than I already have. fish trucks can deliver as close as 6 miles from my house sooo. I will keep my log book as to how many I stock, catch, remove etc. then just restock when needed. Thank you everyone! And...It is great to be back on the forum!! God bless each of you!!
Dear Alcohol, We had a deal where you would make me funnier, smarter, and a better dancer... I saw the video... We need to talk.
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Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 1,609 Likes: 28
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OP
Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 1,609 Likes: 28 |
Just curious...when your channel catfish get too hard to catch...has anybody ever set trotlines in their pond for them? Especially to catch bigger ones? My pond is only 2 acres so a line would be easy to manage.
Dear Alcohol, We had a deal where you would make me funnier, smarter, and a better dancer... I saw the video... We need to talk.
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Joined: May 2004
Posts: 14,281 Likes: 391
Moderator Lunker
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Moderator Lunker
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 14,281 Likes: 391 |
When I was specifically targeting CC, I used deer liver chunks both under a bobber and by jugging. But I catch plenty of them now just using worms/nightcrawler bits under a bobber.
They have NOT been susceptible to fish food lures (Stubby Steve's, Berkley Power Eggs) IME even though they love eating floating fish food.
"Live like you'll die tomorrow, but manage your grass like you'll live forever." -S. M. Stirling
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Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 29,031 Likes: 1013
Moderator Ambassador Field Correspondent  Lunker
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Moderator Ambassador Field Correspondent  Lunker
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 29,031 Likes: 1013 |
Just curious...when your channel catfish get too hard to catch...has anybody ever set trotlines in their pond for them? Especially to catch bigger ones? My pond is only 2 acres so a line would be easy to manage. If they've been caught a few times, they won't even get caught on a trotline. I have caught the bigger ones in the pond on lures when fishing for largemouth. A 6" floating Rapala caught one, a 4: live target crank bait that mimicked a school of fish caught the other. A package of cheap hot dogs cut into 1" pieces, then mixed with 1 package of real sugar strawberry jello and 1-2 tablespoons of powdered garlic. mix the dry ingredients together, then mix in the hotdogs. Do not add any juice to the mix, the hotdogs have enough in them. I thought I had them all removed from my pond, then I found where some escaped the holding tanks and got into the pond, SO, I will be fishing for them hard this coming year.
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Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 1,609 Likes: 28
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OP
Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 1,609 Likes: 28 |
Thank you ALL for the advise!!
Dear Alcohol, We had a deal where you would make me funnier, smarter, and a better dancer... I saw the video... We need to talk.
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Joined: Nov 2023
Posts: 557 Likes: 149
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Joined: Nov 2023
Posts: 557 Likes: 149 |
One of the favored baits we use around here is a drop or two of anise oil in a bowl of liver. A little of the oil goes a long way so use it sparingly. It smells a lot like black licorice and is much easier to clean from the hands than shad, or dough baits.
No catfish in our pond on purpose. They are good eating though...
1.5acre LMB, YP, BG, RES, GSH, Seasonal Tilapia I subscribe to Pond Boss Magazine
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Joined: Jul 2024
Posts: 165 Likes: 40
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Joined: Jul 2024
Posts: 165 Likes: 40 |
Boon, great suggestion with the anise, I forgot about using that. Chicken or Turkey liver has always worked best for me. Only caught Turtles on beef and pork liver.
If they are used to coming to feed you can chum them in with a little feed.
2 Acre, Completed July 2022, CC,BG, Sept. 2022, LMB June 2023, 120 BG, 30 RES, 50 HBG all 4-6", 8 TGC 8-10", 1000 MF, Aug 2024, GSF, YBH washed in 2022.
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Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 1,609 Likes: 28
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OP
Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 1,609 Likes: 28 |
Well I plan to get at least 300 6-8 inch channel cats in about 2 weeks. On a HEAVY feed plan how much should they weigh by say...November 1st? 8 1/2 months? How long for a 6-8 incher to reach 1 1/2 pounds? That's plenty big enough to start eating? Right? My pond is 2 acres and is aeriated with 3 underwater diffusers.
Dear Alcohol, We had a deal where you would make me funnier, smarter, and a better dancer... I saw the video... We need to talk.
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Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 1,609 Likes: 28
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OP
Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 1,609 Likes: 28 |
Silly question but...in my own pond that is NOT fed by a creek or stream will my fish be free of mercury?? I know there is always concerns on large lakes and reservoirs but what about a 2 acre private pond?? If I'm going to start eating a lot of catfish I kinda need to know.
Dear Alcohol, We had a deal where you would make me funnier, smarter, and a better dancer... I saw the video... We need to talk.
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Joined: Dec 2024
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Joined: Dec 2024
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11/2 is a good size eating CC in my opinion. While i dont know for sure about the growth rate im going to start catching mine after 1 year. I stocked them last Oct. 4-6" fingerlings and as of today they look pretty darn good. Also i dont heavily feed mine. My pond has a nice population of sunfish and minnows so i feed my fish every other day.
If you are concerned about mercury you will probably need to get one tested in the future. Personally i like mercury in my fish. Lol
Last edited by Hotbiggun; 02/05/25 07:24 PM.
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Joined: Dec 2014
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Joined: Dec 2014
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Mercury levels in your fish or pond is most likely dependent on the natural level in your surrounding soil. Do the lakes in your local area have elevated levels of mercury?
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FishinRod |
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Joined: Nov 2007
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Lunker
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Lunker
Joined: Nov 2007
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Mercury also tends to concentrate UP the food chain, especially in top predators that eat forage that ate smaller forage that ate even smaller forage that had consumed some mercury.
On a heavy feed plan of good quality, they should mostly be eating your food and in my (non-expert) opinion would be very UNLIKELY to have elevated levels of mercury. As the catfish rapidly gain weight on the feed, any initial mercury in the muscle mass of the fish should actually tend to a lower concentration with an increase in size.
If you are going to eat LOTS of catfish from your pond for many years, maybe you could test a few of the largest ones for mercury. No idea where to get that test, but if you are close enough to the coast, one of your nearby universities might be able to perform that test. Or perhaps a state agency.
P.S. That follows on cb100's comment about local mercury levels. If they are very low, then I would definitely say "no worries".
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jpsdad |
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by PAfarmPondPGH69, October 22
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