Here's A Mystery?

[Dennis1209]

I have a question for pond / lake owners and fishermen.

I'm bamboozled and at wits end, but a little of the history first.

I bought this property about four years ago. It has a stocked pond in the front yard, maybe about a quarter acre in size. I know for a fact it has Bluegill the size of your hand and bigger, we've caught plenty of them. I know for a fact, it has lots and lots of Bass, as we've seen them and caught plenty of them. Only problem, the bass are stunted in growth and most are about 11" - 12" and I don't believe there are any lunkers, but that's not what bothers me?

All my neighbors tell me there's great big catfish in my pond, hell even our mailman said he knew that from the previous owner(s) and fishing it. I'm told to use minnows to catch the catfish. For the last two years I have fed the catfish in my pond with floating catfish food purchased from the local co-op. The bluegill go nuts eating it but never seen a catfish surface and grab a nugget?

Last fall when we had so much rain the primary spillway could not handle the water, it over flowed over the secondary spillway. In the path of the over flow an eight to nine pound catfish got "beached" on my front lawn. I looked at it with great enthusiasm, soiled my pants, and released it back into my pond. Three days later, I found it floating.

The primary spillway at the dam / deep water is a 6 inch PVC pipe. The secondary spillway for over flow is at the opposite shallow end.

Eighteen months ago I purchased one hundred (100) channel catfish from the local fish truck. Naturally, I stabilized the fish bag water to the pond water temperature before I cut the bag to release them. We kept an eye on the pond for the next several days and only seen two floaters who didn't make it. That's ninety-eight (98) fish that should have survived. Because the pond is so small to sustain that many fish naturally, I always feed them every 2nd to third day.

Since I've owned this property, I've had friends, myself, family and all the neighbors fish my little pond with success for bluegill and bass only. We have all tried fishing for catfish using; red wigglers, night crawlers, minnows, stink bait, corn, hot dogs, cheese, dog food and today, turkey liver. I spent another eight hours fishing for them and not even a nibble. NO ONE has ever caught a catfish from my little pond?

I don't have a little boat for the pond and I thought about buying a throw net to see if there's anything there? Next step I'm thinking about is buying a couple large treble hooks and trying to snag to see if they are there?

I'm so aggravated, I'm at the point of renting a pump and drain my pond to a few feet and see what's there.

There's no other water source or pond / lake that feeds my pond. My pond gets filled when there's an abundance of rain and it filters to a small creek to my pond.

Any thoughts guys?

Edited October 23, 2012 by Dennis1209

[gregintenn]

They ain't biting!

[Mike.357]

quit feeding them, maybe they will get hungry.

And catfish are bottom feeders so I think it unlikey you would see them eating floating fish food.

[Guest sL1k]

I dont think its just your pond, pond catfish can just be elusive. I have never had any luck with using the catfish stink bait at ponds you may actually want to try using bluegill as bait, hook it through the eyes or back and throw it in i wouldnt use a weight if the vegatation is pretty heavy you may want to use a float then. (it needs to be dyring not dead) im sure cut bluegill would work if its pretty fresh.

Also if try liver again use fresh liver and make it about the same size as the catfish chow you may actually have better luck that way.

Edited October 23, 2012 by sL1k

[luvmyberetta]

Catfish are bottom dwellers. Try fishing with bloody chicken livers with sinkers. You'll start catching catfish by the bucket full, if they're there.

Edited October 23, 2012 by luvmyberetta

[glowdotGlock]

I would buy a good under water camera at Bass Pro or some sporting store. I've been wanting one for some time now. They have gotten pretty cheap like $100 or so for a black and white.

[UncleJak]

My dad had a pond with a monster catfish in it also. My little brother finally brought it out with a jumbo dinner delight hot dog.

[Oh Shoot]

There's probably just so many stunted bream in there that the catfish get all they want, when they want, so your odds are much reduced.

And contrary to all the stink bait advocates, channel cats really do seem to prefer live bait. I've caught lots more of them night fishing for crappie and stripe with live minnows than I ever have fishing right on the bottom with dead stuff, which generally get flatheads and blues.

- OS

[runco]

When I was a kid, I was known to clean out ponds of cat from old farms. I agree stop feeding the fish for at least a week to 2 weeks, and try the liver thingy, and just fish on the bottom for a few hours. That was my game some 35 to 40 years ago.

[gregintenn]

An old man I used to fish with would put several minnows on a hook, lay it on the ground, and stomp them until their intestines began to hang out. Sounds gross, but that old man sure caught a lot of catfish!

[Guest Travtastik]

My parents pond and their neighbor stocked their ponds at the same time with catfish and other fish. The neighbor fed his catfish every other day with the intent to charge people to fish there. Once they got big enough that he let people fish they would never bite. My parents never feed theirs and we got lots of cats out of there. We caught a few with chicken livers but the best thing to use was a small bluegill hooked through the back. The neighbor finally started catching fish one he dropped down to feeding once every 8-10 days.

[gunwhatgun]

I am assuming these are fingerling cats you are buying in bags, if I am wrong ignore this thought. If they are though, they are being eaten by the bass. Stunted bass are agressive feeders.

Second thought, is that OhShoot is right on the money. Channel cats are predators and opportunity feeders and you have a pond full of bream for them and why the hell eat scraps when you can get fresh sushi?

Have you eliminated the fact that you have uninvited guests harvesting your catfish for you. It Happens all the time around here. I know a few folk who won't let the truck deliver the fish, they pick them up and put the bags in big tubs so local folks don't know the pand has been restocked.