Rotenone is a good way to go if you want to start completely over. As Meadowlark stated, live bream are the trick if you wanna catch that big Op. I'd use set lines tied to trees around the pond one evening if the rod/reel don't work. p.s.-better be a stout rod, reel and line!

thanks for the advice

Chunck some dry dogfood in that pond. Acouple hands full should do it. If that cats in the pond you will know with in an hour. Just keep a close eye on the water and have a 22 rifle with you.

You need to put a 1-2 lb drum or carp on your jug line. That will get him. I made the same mistake of putting an op in my tank but was able to get mine back out before he could do too much damage to the bass population. I couldn't use perch because I kept catching bass on my jug lines.

how big was the cat you put in your pond?

Yes, and then post pics on Facebook of a game fish that you just harvested with a firearm. LOL>

you can harvest them however you want in private water.

Try that argument with a game warden...

If it's a private pond, the owner can do anything he wishes with the fish.

i can bow fish bass on my tank if i like. ttate size limits/harvest methods don't apply on private waters. I've had a game warden approach me when i was cast netting to remove excess undersized bass from my property before (he was there because my friend was sighting in a gun a few days before deer season and thought we might be hunting) oh and i didn't have a fishing license...perfectly legal.

This is true. The fellows bringing out the bass fingerlings are in possession of undersized gamefish, and way over the limit if they weren't undersized.

If you are not sure...i would apply chemicals and kill the pond and just star over. Stock with baitfish (perch or bluegill). Then stock with bass and catfish at the same time and same size a year later. Just my opinion.

If you have the option, drain the pond. If you drain the pond then you can clean out any trash, and can build crappie condos etc. Also, yon never know what some of the neighbor kids have put in your pond. If you drain it, you may find out.

Stretch you a trotline across the tank. Bait it with perch. That way if you get any that get loose you do not have another problem in your tank, like carp or goldfish.
I would put 10-15 hooks out. One long weekend and you should have that flathead. I doubt your tank is completely cleaned out, but it is probably pretty understocked on anything under 2 lbs. The dog food thing will not work on a flathead. Unless it is starving.
Do not expect to get that fish immediately these are one of the hardest fish to catch in Texas waters.

He's right. No state laws apply to fishermen on PRIVATE waters.