Catfish Minnows

[codybear]

Didnt really know where to post this but figured there is more fish knowledge here...

Last year someone gave my father-in-law a bucketfull of catfish.. He had more than he really wanted and found at least 4 that were still alive so he called me up and aksed if I wanted them for my pond. I took them, dumped them into the pond and they lived. About 3 weeks later I noticed a few hundred cat fish minnows and they even survived this winter but to this day they have not grown at all. There is plenty of food for them but I dont understand why after almost a whole year, they are still the same size (about 1" long).. My pond is about 20x35yds and about 10 feet deep (not really that small).. I could see them being stunted due to the size of the pond but to not grow at all, after a year, blows be away.. Any thoughts?

CB

[Hi-Tech Redneck]

I know Michigan has a couple different species of the madtom catfish. They don't get much bigger than a couple of inches. Here's a couple of links:

http://web4.msue.msu.edu/mnfi/explorer/species.cfm?id=11367
http://web4.msue.msu.edu/mnfi/explorer/species.cfm?id=11366

[outdoor junkie]

Could they maybe be this years spawn? I remember in long lake in hALE, spending alot of time up there growing up at the grandparents. We would see them every year about this time swimming by shore, just huge clouds of black. It could be last years brood moved out into a little deeper water and your now seeing this years brood combing the shoreline. Be careful, I imagine catfish could take over your pond in no time. May want to weed some of them out now.

[franky]

I catch some of them really teeny ones in my minnow trap in my creek. Weird.

[codybear]

Could they maybe be this years spawn? I remember in long lake in hALE, spending alot of time up there growing up at the grandparents. We would see them every year about this time swimming by shore, just huge clouds of black. It could be last years brood moved out into a little deeper water and your now seeing this years brood combing the shoreline. Be careful, I imagine catfish could take over your pond in no time. May want to weed some of them out now.

I seen them a few days before the pond iced over and then again a few days after ice-out so I figured they had to be the same ones unless they spawn during the winter?

Thanks
CB

[eyesforever]

Could they maybe be this years spawn? I remember in long lake in hALE, spending alot of time up there growing up at the grandparents. We would see them every year about this time swimming by shore, just huge clouds of black. It could be last years brood moved out into a little deeper water and your now seeing this years brood combing the shoreline. Be careful, I imagine catfish could take over your pond in no time. May want to weed some of them out now.

Yeah, weed 'em out and use 'em for walleye bait. Just gotta let the eyes chew on them a bit b/4 settin the hook. :chillin: