Channel catfish are the bonus harvest fish of a pond, a tasty, fast-growing addition that is generally safe to stock in most ponds. If you live for a weekend fish fry, this is your fish.
These fish rarely reproduce successfully in a pond setting, meaning there's very little worry of overpopulation. They need specific nesting cavities to spawn (called "catfish holes"). With this in mind, you can generally stock catfish for harvest without upsetting the balance of your bass-and-bluegill-centric pond. In a catfish-only pond, they can overpopulate over a long period of time, so you may want to keep a small population of bass in ponds like these to thin the herd of catfish fry and fingerlings.
With feeding, they grow fast and can reach a few pounds in about two years. They are eager feeders and take pelleted feed readily.
Add channel catfish with your predators in year two, or as their own focused plan. They are an easy, rewarding addition for owners who want meat fish alongside their sport fishing.
