Raising Catfish
Fishermen can raise catfish as a hobby or to put extra food on the table. Catfish are hearty and can be grown to eating size in less than a year. In a pond, catfish have few predators and will eat anything from small bait fish to algae. Stocking a pond is simple and only takes a bit of planning.
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Instructions
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Determine if your pond is deep enough to raise catfish to maturity. The perfect pond is around 4 feet deep, but they can be raised in as shallow as 2 feet and as deep as 6 to 10 feet. The deeper the pond, the harder it will be to harvest the fish.
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Contact your local feed stores or county extension agent to find out where to purchase catfish fingerlings. These fish are usually 4 to 6 inches long and are purchased in groups of 50 or more fish to the bag. Most feed stores have "fish stocking days" in which several varieties of fingerling fish are offered for sale.
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Place the unopened bag of fish into the pond to give them a chance to acclimate to the difference in water temperature in the bag, as compared to the pond water. Leave the bag unopened for several hours to overnight.
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Release the fingerlings into the pond. Sprinkle a high-protein catfish food on top of the water. Read the bag to determine how much food to feed for the number of catfish you have purchased.
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Fish the pond using catfish or other bait monthly to determine fish growth. The fish should begin to reach a small, edible size in approximately 6 months.
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Harvest the fish by either fishing or by throwing a seine in the water when the fish have reached the desired size. Clean and process the fish immediately after harvest.
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Tips & Warnings
Most catfish foods are medicated to prevent diseases common to the catfish species.
Catfish can live for many years and reach 20 pounds or more in an average pond.
