How to Breed Catfish in a Farm Pond

A good catfish caught and ready for cleaning.

Catfish has long been a favorite food across the U.S. heartland, spreading from its Southern roots as fish farming became a way to supply the tasty meat. Fish farming began in the rice-growing areas of Arkansas, Mississippi and Louisiana. Farmers already had flooded fields. Adding catfish gave them a second cash crop--and increased the fertility for rice production. Now there are many commercial catfish farms. But any landowner with a decent pond can easily raise catfish for personal fishing, if not for a commercial business.

Things You'll Need

• Pond
• Catfish brood stock

Instructions

1. Assess the water quality of your pond. You need a pond that is free of algae and other organisms, with a stable supply of fresh water. A pond filled with runoff from cattle pasture probably will contain too many contaminants to support fish. Decide whether you're going to stock just catfish or several species. Bass, crappie, bluegill and other sunfish will feed on catfish eggs and hatchlings. Plan your catfish pond by its use: just for family fishing, to provide recreation for friends and neighbors or expected to produce a commercial food harvest.

2. Start small. For recreational fishing, stock 20 to 30 brood fish (two females for every male) per surface area of water. For a two-acre pond, that's 40 to 60 fish. Some experts recommend fingerlings of 6 to 8 inches. Then provide spawning containers scattered around the pond. This can be anything--metal milk cans or buckets, earthen chimney pipe, plastic crocks or barrels; some people even use old tires. They should be large enough that male and female can fit comfortably at the same time. Catfish spawn in late spring and early summer--late April to July, depending on the location. Check spawning containers for eggs or newly hatched fish.

3. Catch some fish. Overpopulation can be a serious problem in catfish ponds. Females lay 3,000 to 4,000 eggs per pound of body weight and can quickly overpopulate a pond. One expert says taking 100 fish per family member per acre is a good harvest ratio. That means a lot of fishing. Overpopulation will result in smaller, weaker fish. If you want faster results than from natural reproduction, you can stock catchable-sized fish at a rate of about 1,500 fish per surface acre. But harvest a lot.

4. Watch for growth of plankton and other life forms that will impact oxygen levels in the water. In extreme cases, some ponds may need artificial aeration during hot summer months. Such things as fertilizer runoff can quickly impact water quality and cause fish to weaken or die. Some experts suggest stocking fathead minnows (10 pounds per acre), which feed on plankton, insects, waste and other detrimental materials. They also provide a food source for catfish. You can feed your catfish, but use a high quality commercial fish food and avoid over-feeding.

References

• Oklahoma Wildlife Department: pond catfish
• Farminfo.org: raising catfish
• Mississippi State University: catfish water quality
• University of Florida; farm catfish
• Suttle Fish Farm: raising catfish