Okay, I've stocked my existing pond with 200 4-6" catfish. My fish supplier said catfish will surface feed with fish float when the water temp gets 55 degrees. If I understand that correctly, then I'm thinking there's no point in feeding everyday, now, just on the warmest periods. Am I right? Also, what kind of structure do I need to protect those catfish? I'm all but certain that there are no other fish in the pond other than the ones I put there, and when the pond was at its lowest level this summer, I observed no structure (no rocks, logs, debris.) The pond is actually a cow watering hole, but it's probably 6-8 feet deep and about a half acre. The banks are gradually sloped, no drop offs. There's remnants of grass around the bank area under the water from when the water was low. Do I need to add structure for protecting the fish? I'm concerned that cranes, geese, and ducks may eat them, even though no birds stayed on the pond before I added the fish. Will the birds come since the fish are there now? And if I add a spawning tube or a couple of old tires, how many should I add? I don't want to clutter the bottom of the pond because cows could walk into it, though I haven't seen them in the middle of it. They do walk into the shallow edges during the summer. I guess my big question is can I leave the pond as it is and just replenish the fish every year? That's probably the easiest way to handle matters. Thanks for the info.
