10-lb.-channel-oct-4

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Comment by dick tabbert on October 8, 2012 at 3:07pm

Thanks Walt

Comment by Walt Foreman on October 8, 2012 at 3:04pm

Zach, this pond is four acres.  I added the crappie to get a predator that doesn't eat pellets into the pond.  I have stocked both larger-size largemouth that I caught from other ponds, and fingerling largemouth into this pond, in an effort to get the bluegill under control; I also stocked a bunch of 8-10" largemouth once, but I think most of that stocking didn't make it as it was already the middle of June and hot and I gambled because the hatchery gave me a good price on them.  But the problem with a pond liks this is, stocking fingerling bass results in most or all of the fingerlings getting eaten; stocking larger bass means the bass will be feed-trained (every hatchery I know of grows out their largemouth on pellets), meaning they won't eat nearly as many bluegill as non-feed-trained, and they'll also compete with the bluegill for pellets.  Crappie can't eat larger bluegill, but they eat the heck out of YOY and fingerlings, and they don't eat pellets even when bought in larger sizes.

The catfish was 27"; I don't think there are too many left at this point, as I never see more than a couple at a time when the feeder goes off, whereas it used to be dozens.

I hear you on catfish hogging pellets, Dick.  If I were you, I'd break out the snag hook, or hire a bowhunter to come shoot them.  

Comment by dick tabbert on October 8, 2012 at 11:44am

Walt they were fun to watch eat when I first got them but now that there 8 to  10lbs they are the first to the feed and last to leave. They consume most of the feed and the feeds not getting any cheaper. They eat lots and have the bellies on them to prove it. I just want them gone and next year I'll be trying my best to get rid of them. They eat good but that's all that Aqua Maxs.

Comment by Zach Pierce on October 8, 2012 at 11:35am

So how long was this catfish you caught and how many you thin are left in the pond?

What size is this pond again, I think this is the one you were telling me about?

Do you think adding the Crappie will be a problem down the road?

Comment by Walt Foreman on October 4, 2012 at 8:38pm

The catfish are not really a big problem at this point, Dick, unless you're talking about the overpopulated bluegill instead?  There used to be way too many cats in this pond but I caught some out, the neighbor who owns a portion of the pond and originally stocked 1200 catfish(!) caught some, and there aren't (thankfully) that many left now.  But maybe you meant the small bluegill?

I hear you on the water quality, Leo - it has been a challenge in this pond.  I've fertilized it a few times, and it got a good bloom last year when I did, but this year the FA exploded when I fertilized (that shallow water) and I had to treat it with Cutrine Plus.  Last year it got blue-green algae on it and when I treated the blue-green algae it nearly caused a massive fish kill, would have if the owner hadn't rented a trash pump to rig a makeshift fountain.  If I had it to do over, I would have just let the pond kill off probably.  But now it looks like possibly it may finally be improving, which would be really a welcome sign.

Comment by dick tabbert on October 4, 2012 at 8:15pm

I feel your pain I know where your coming from. If you ever figure out how to get rid of them short of killing of the whole pond please remember me.

Comment by Leo Nguyen on October 4, 2012 at 8:13pm

Wow, truly a nice cat. You do have your hands full with that water quality from that pond. But nothing of that magnitude should phase you..right?

Comment by Walt Foreman on October 4, 2012 at 7:21pm

This pond is my problem-child pond.  It's the one I've posted about on here in the past, in which I think I've seen firsthand the negative effect hybrid bluegill crossing with pure-strain can have.  But it's also been badly overpopulated for a couple years now, so it's hard to say how much of the problem has been genetics and how much has been density.  I stocked ten 12-14" northern pike and 25 4-5" black crappie into it back in May in an effort to get the small bluegill thinned out, and today we caught a lot fewer of them than we have every time we've fished it the past three years, so maybe it's working.  This pond has more shallow water than any other pond I work with by far, so that has made it more difficult to get the small bluegill under control.  

Comment by Vince Fusco on October 4, 2012 at 7:12pm

That's a good cat. I like the water color in that pond. I don't know a lot about pond water, but that pond just looks fishy.

Comment by Walt Foreman on October 4, 2012 at 6:54pm

Definitely kept the catfish - released all of the big bluegill.  We kept a few bluegill in the 6.5 - 7.5" range from the pond behind me because they're presently overpopulated in it and need thinning out.  I was glad to see that they're getting bigger, as the last time I fished it a couple months ago most of the bluegill we caught were 6" or under, and we released several today over 8" including one that would have gone 12 oz. or better, which was encouraging considering this is my very worst bluegill pond at the moment (the big bluegill I posted photos of tonight came from the pond 100 yards up the hill from this one).

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