Catfish breeding

[Wobbler]

Hi guys,was wondering how successful uk cats are at breeding in our ponds and lakes,is it a rare event for kittens to survive to catchable size,as you don’t hear of many waters over run with kittens,are they as successful as our pike, cheers guys

[cookiesdaughtersdad]

Fortunately the UK temperature are generally to cold for successful breading but they do manage some years.
Catfish are great fish to catch and can be managed in still water but I for one wouldn't want them increasing in numbers in our rivers and become another invasive species. Pike are perfectly suited to our temperatures and so spawn successfully most years.

Cheers, Alan

[davelumb]

I know a small pond where there were lots of little kittens being caught on worms one good year, but they've bred in other waters I know of.

[pikin]

They breed very well across Cheshire's shallow lakes and Meres

[Catfish Paul]

There's a couple of lakes near me, in the home counties, which are stuffed full of kittens.
Of various weight classes so I would assume that the breeding has been successful over a couple of years at least.

[Happy Hayes]

Two waters I fish both have kittens in.
One in particular , you’ll catch them all day if you cast out a maggot or worm .
Regards
Tom

[Wobbler]

Cheers guys,I guess they will eat kittens if in excess on certain years ,all interesting stuff

[cookiesdaughtersdad]

Let hope anglers and floods do not put any into the rivers.

Cheers, Alan

[stubbojo]

Let hope anglers and floods do not put any into the rivers.

Cheers, Alan

bet there already in there alan .......you hear of the odd fish showing , or getting snapped of thinking its a big carp , or pike
then you will get people putting them in on purpose.....

[cookiesdaughtersdad]

Let hope anglers and floods do not put any into the rivers.

Cheers, Alan

bet there already in there alan .......you hear of the odd fish showing , or getting snapped of thinking its a big carp , or pike
then you will get people putting them in on purpose.....

There are a few for sure in many rivers, Steve but still very low in numbers and thats more than enough, if more were go in by whatever method and start to breed it will only effect things in a negative way.

Cheers, Alan

[Neville Fickling]

Spawning is normal
It’s survival that’s the key. Little cats need cover to avoid pike and perch

[Kevin O'Keeffe]

Let hope anglers and floods do not put any into the rivers.

Cheers, Alan

Horse has bolted there down here Al.... a few whackers have come out of the Thames in recent years!

[cookiesdaughtersdad]

Let hope anglers and floods do not put any into the rivers.

Cheers, Alan

Horse has bolted there down here Al.... a few whackers have come out of the Thames in recent years!

and round here, Kevin, there are a few in the Great Ouse and a notable one thats well over 80. My point is I hope the numbers stay very low.

Cheers, Alan

[Steve Dennington]

Let hope anglers and floods do not put any into the rivers.

Cheers, Alan

Horse has bolted there down here Al.... a few whackers have come out of the Thames in recent years!

and round here, Kevin, there are a few in the Great Ouse and a notable one thats well over 80. My point is I hope the numbers stay very low.

Cheers, Alan

There was talk of big 'uns in the Yare in the 1990s. That said, I think most of them were unlanded and just assumed to be catfish on account of the power.

[Muskie]

Catfish in my experience breed well in lakes when they have good weed growth. Certainly was the case at Horton Boat Pool.

Larger catfish predate heavily on their young.

Once catfish are in a water they take over as the apex predator and pike are pushed down the pecking order and do not do as well.