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May not have stated it clearly in my initial post. I want to catch catfish. I don't want to put in a bunch of small catfish and have the bass gobble them up. I figure the catfish will eat some of the bass eventually, but not the primary purpose of getting them.

Me and my kids have taken abut 120 bass out in the last week.....making progress.

Consensus seems to be that I can stock a pond with catfish and most will survive.

Do I need to section part of the pond off and feed the fish until they get a little larger?

How many catfish per acre should I stock?

If you absolutely want to catch catfish, then stock catfish into your bass/bluegill pond if a dedicated catfish pond is not an option. Opt for the 8"-10" CCF. As Pondman stated, they're not that much more expensive, and their survival rate and "transportability" will be much better. No need to section off a portion of the pond. As far as stocking rates, Pondman could probably advise you more accurately, but, conceptually, I would start off with a lower density, perhaps 15-20/acre, until you can gain better control over your predator/prey (bass/bluegill) balance before you add in another predator. You can always add more CCF, and adding a known quantity (balance/percentage-wise) is always easier and more accurate than quantity removal (balance/percentage-wise). If you could hold off on your CCF stocking until you can control the balance or even get it to shift a little prey-crowded, that may be optimal. Regardless of your timeline or approach, supplemental feeding will be critical to the success of your fishery. I would install 2 feeders minimum and also implement a fertilization program.

On another, yet applicable note, it would be interesting to see the difference in results of an all-floating feed program versus a part-floating/part-sinking feed program. I've seem instances where larger species (catfish, grass carp) have run off or interfered with smaller species (bluegill) feeding in all-floating feed programs. Perhaps a variable feed approach could minimize or offset these possible effects, or it may be a non-issue all together. Pondman, are you aware of any research or literature on the topic?

That was a problem in a buddy's pond. We put catfish in it and can't catch them. Tried everything. They will eat food but won't bite a hook. So mine is almost full after a $10k rebuild, and I'm going to put bass and brim in mine. I'm going to leave the catfish alone. Too much trouble for the dollar

BW,

Why are you waiting for it to fill up completely? Most ponds get stocked when they are 1/4 to 1/3 full. Also, if you leave a pond empty during the growing season, I can almost guarantee you will get wild fish in the pond.

Pond