NEW LAKE

if you have a small pond i wouldn't recommend putting flathead in it at all! They will eat your entire stock of baitfish and make it very hard to get them growing.... I would stick with channel cat for the pond, maybe some albinos for fun. But if its a big enough lake I'd put flatties in it..

 

If it is a private lake wouldn't it be illegal for you to stock it?

 

I don't know the laws there, but in Ohio you are allowed to stock private ponds. Of course, it is illegal to catch public fish and stock them in a private pond. Andy never said where he was going to obtain his fish.

 

I agree you may want to check your state laws.

 

Get with your DNR for local help & advise. http://www.iowadnr.com/fish/programs/farmpond.html

Other helpful ideas:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuMobdVsSk8

http://msucares.com/wildfish/fisheries/farmpond/building/stocking.html

http://www.avidangler.net/ponds.htm

 

Some states used to stock new ponds for the land owner then study the fish.

 

i don't really know what the area around your lake is like but i would definatley add a good bit a wood, possibly cut down several trees around the lake, this will give your smaller fish a place to hide up in but also a place for flatheads to spawn, i would also look at putting in a gravel bottom section, or adding some kind of rock, i don't know what you are willing to put into it but i would definatley add some large wood structures first, hopefully i gave you some ideas to at least think about.
Larry

 

another thing is you say its going to be mostly catfish, just a heads up, i had a 6 in. channel in an aquarium and he ate over a dozen minnows a week, thats one 6 in. channel, you going to have to stock the lake with ALOT of bait..

 

ok, just food for thought here. you are asking questions, but not really listening to the answers, and being kind of harsh toward some of the responses. we are merely trying to figure what would be best for you and the fish. now if you plan on putting channels and flathead in there, you may also want to put some other stuff in there as well, to give it nice ballance. i would suggest bluegill, crappie, largemouth, carp, and bullheads. this will give you cats a little competition as well as plenty of farage so that they dont get used to looking at the same things all of the time. this will also ensure there are plenty of forage for them to feed on and will keep them from getting overpopulated and stunting thier growth. as far as habitat goes, i would definatley put in plenty of wood (like logs and brushpiles) as well as some rock piles. also, go to a junkyard and get a few junk cars. you can proabaly get them for less than 2 hundred buck and usually all of the fluids and chemicals are already drained out of them. what better place for a fish to hide in than an old car body. if you can find an old building or know someone in demolition, you can also use cinder blocks and pile them up. will work well. i would also throw in a couple of old metal barrels and even some appliances. hey they are all cheap and wont degrade as fast as the logs will and they will provide plenty of hiding places for the cats as well as the forage. if they are clear cutting the area, tell them to leave the stumps in the ground. these places are awesome areas for cats as well as forage fish. think about it and let me know what you think. if you have any more questions, please ask, and remember we want to help, but we are also looking out for your best interest as well as for the best interest of the fisheries.

 

Andy, I think I know what you were saying about the DNR, (If they stock it they want it open to the public) But someone there should want to help you in the planning of the lake even if you do it yourself. Just reach out, those guys know what they are doing. You will need to stock all manner of fish in an 88 acre lake to make it productive. Structure wise, you have a great opportunity to customize this lake as you and the owner see fit. I'd look around at pond building on the net, there are lots of guys that specialize in making bass ponds, I'm sure you can use that info to make a 1st class catfish lake. Plastic drain tubes and plastic barrels of different widths for big and small cats set into the banks for spawning. (the DNR guys could advise which areas of the lake would be best). Lots of wood piles from all the cleared land used in making the lake. riprap on the dam for crayfish habitat and hiding places for small fish. Other rocky areas around the lake for the same reason. Shad or whatever type of minnow that will reproduce in the lake. ( DNR again) Keep track of the piles and nesting boxes on a map. In your head or secreted away in a safety deposit box lol. For future fererence. This is a start, you have a lot of reading to do my friend.

 

i would definately NOT put tires in there. tires have a bad habit of leaching out chemical and will polute the water and you will have 2 headed fish with eight eyeballs. oooh: thats one thing i forgot to mention, if you use old junk cars remove all of the rubber hoses and tires as well as the weather stripping. and dont worry about being harsh, i dont think you were trying to be, but you have to remember that we arent talking face to face so we cant see your reactions or hear your tone. fathead minnows will be great, and i would defintely look at putting some crappie in there. they can be really fun to catch during the spring around your brush piles. another thing you may want to look into is putting in some floating docks with some brush piles spread around them. they will hold baitfish and will be easy to fish off of. you can make them out of plastic barrels and 2x4's with plywood on top. just a thought. since you have a good lake that you can personally set up for your purposes, then you should definately put in there what you would like to have. thnk about the things that you like to look for whe you go and fish public water and incorporate all of these aspects into your lake. once the lake gets established, put in some lilly pads. will give the baitfish a place to hide in shallower water without having to worry about getting caught up in brush.

 

Shiner minnows dont get but about 10 inches long and generally wont crowd out the other species. Its good to anchor some brush piles so cats can get away from predators like river otters. They sometimes get into ponds and lakes and decimate the fish population before they are found. An otter can catch and maim or kill most fish.

 

ALSO IF YOU TYPE IN CAPS IT MAKES YOU SEEM TEN TIMES MORE AGGRESSIVE.

Does to me anyway.

Sounds like a awesome project. I wish you luck. I just started a 29 gallon fish tank and thats hard enough for me lol

Matt