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Help Stocking Small Catfish Pond #12591787 01/23/18 03:10 PM
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Terry M Online Content OP
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I just bought a place with a small pond on it and want to stock it with catfish. Where can I get some? I would like larger ones in the 1 to 2 lb range instead of fingerlings. Also any thoughts on raising cats would be appreciated. Thanks for your help!

Re: Help Stocking Small Catfish Pond [Re: Terry M] #12591820 01/23/18 03:24 PM
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deewayne2003 Offline
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Depends on how big your pond is and where it is located...... As for the fish themselves, it seems like Dunn's goes all over and offers direct delivery and route truck pick up- although the route truck really isn't an option for fish as large as you are wanting.

http://dunnsfishfarm.com/

I am looking at doing the same thing but I will be stocking 6-8" channel cat as they are much cheaper than 1-2 lbs fish and will get to that size within a year or so if properly fed.

The pond I am looking at stocking with catfish is 1 acre and in years to come will need to be demucked, so I figured in mean time I will use it as a put and take catfish pond; I plan on stocking 400 6-8" channel cat, 200 hybrid bluegill, 5 - 12" grass sterile grass carp and 100 red ear bream and 6 lbs of fat head minnows.

With the plan being to stock the fish, feed them with a starting feed that is 36% protein to speed the growth of the catfish fingerlings and when they reach 1/2 lbs in size I'll switch over to a standard 32% feed, that will be fed by an automatic fish feeder and then harvest the catfish as needed.

If you want channel catfish to be able to reproduce they will need some sort of nest/hollow cavity to spawn in, such as a 30gal plastic drum with a hole cut in one end big enough for the fish to fit in; placed in 3-4' of water with the opening facing toward the shore.

Re: Help Stocking Small Catfish Pond [Re: deewayne2003] #12593449 01/24/18 03:30 PM
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salex Online Content
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DeeWayne,

That is a lot of catfish and not a lot of bluegill/red ear for a 1 acre. I would recommend 1/3 to 1/2 that amount of catfish and 4X or 5X as many bluegill and red ear. You likely don't need fatheads for catfish, but they will not hurt. Your feed program and habitat ideas are sound.


Steve Alexander
salexander@privatewaterfishing.com
www.privatewaterfishing.com

Re: Help Stocking Small Catfish Pond [Re: Terry M] #12594970 01/25/18 03:46 PM
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deewayne2003 Offline
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@Terry M - Didn't mean to hijack your posting but I think this is good information to discuss.

@salex ......

This particular pond is basically going to be an entertainment pond for getting kids and even adults into fishing, so until I get motivated to drop the $$$ to expand and improve my ponds its basically the worst one of my 3 ponds and I'm looking to simply get something out of it in mean time.

400 catfish may sound like a lot for 1ac but this pond already has an established native bluegill population and I stocked 50 LARGE hand sized copper nose into it last year that were already feeder trained; and meant to write 200 red ear that will be 4-5" when stocked.

I'm confident it will work and I've already taken the before pics; so as of now I have 3 tons Ag lime coming for this pond after running the soils samples and the PH should be balanced by the time the water temp comes up enough to fertilize.

Re: Help Stocking Small Catfish Pond [Re: deewayne2003] #12598228 01/28/18 12:22 AM
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salex Online Content
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DeeWayne,

Still think that is a lot of catfish for one acre. If you go with that many catfish you will need more bluegill. However, a generous feeding program will help.


Steve Alexander
salexander@privatewaterfishing.com
www.privatewaterfishing.com

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