# Someting different - Steve's Farm



## FishWalton (Jul 22, 2010)

Just about everyone here on the PFF freshwater thread knows about Steve's Farm in Walnut Hill. For something different a buddy and I went over there yesterday and enjoyed a few hours of catfishing. 

The morning was perfect. We were there to catch and release. I have plenty of wild caught fish in the freezer. The bite was often enough to keep us awake. We ended up with 18 between 4 to about 9 to 10 pounds before we folded our chairs and headed to Joe Patties in Pensacola for lunch. Naturally we had to stop in the fish market to check it out. 

Steve's is a very well run produce farm with catfish ponds. A farm hand came around to check on us to see if the bite was OK. we were fishing a pond that had a 54 lb. blue in there somewhere....so we were told. Incidentally, a long handled landing net would have come in real handy. The places we fished the bank was 2 to 3 feet above the water and it was hard pulling a good fish up through heavy grass. So if you go...take a net. 

I tell you sitting on a pond bank in a comfortable fold-up chair rather than scrunched up for hours in a small river boat could easily become addictive. These old bones appreciated the relaxation. I like it. Wish there was good bank fishing closer to home.


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## [email protected] (Oct 4, 2007)

great place!! I take my 3 grandkids there every year they absolutely love it.


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## JoeyWelch (Sep 25, 2009)

How do you grow a 53lb blue in a pond? Transplant?


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## OHenry (Apr 28, 2011)

My grandkid's love it there! Miles of smiles...


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## jaster (Oct 7, 2007)

jlw1972 said:


> How do you grow a 53lb blue in a pond? Transplant?


Feed em Bluegill!!!!


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## MrFish (Aug 21, 2009)

jlw1972 said:


> How do you grow a 53lb blue in a pond? Transplant?


You don't have people with 50% hook ratios fishing there. :whistling:


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## Realtor (Oct 1, 2007)

MrFish said:


> You don't have people with 50% hook ratios fishing there. :whistling:


:thumbup: You're the PFF zinger KING OF THE WEEK! :notworthy:


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## FishWalton (Jul 22, 2010)

jlw1972 said:


> How do you grow a 53lb blue in a pond? Transplant?



Maybe it's one of those 40+ pounders Glenn Flowers and his wife caught a few years ago. They were not transplants back then and of course they were released when caught


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## FishWalton (Jul 22, 2010)

jaster said:


> Feed em Bluegill!!!![/QUOTE
> 
> We used shrimp and chicken liver. Shrimp outfished the liver 2 to 1.


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## Jason (Oct 2, 2007)

I reckon while we have our 2 grand youngins, we'll have to take em out there....I don't think they have ever fished!!!!


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## FishWalton (Jul 22, 2010)

Jason said:


> I reckon while we have our 2 grand youngins, we'll have to take em out there....I don't think they have ever fished!!!!


If they are big enough to hold a rod and reel it in they are in for a fun time. I did notice one thing, when a good size one hits, it hits! Lay the rod down with spool locked and you may have to go swimming to retrieve the rig.


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## Jason (Oct 2, 2007)

fishwalton said:


> If they are big enough to hold a rod and reel it in they are in for a fun time. I did notice one thing, when a good size one hits, it hits! Lay the rod down with spool locked and you may have to go swimming to retrieve the rig.



When I lived in Pcola I went there a few times and always had a good time...:thumbsup:


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## Stoker1 (Feb 17, 2014)

Back as a kid, my daddy and granddaddy decided they wanted to put a pond on our acreage in lower Bama. So they dug the pond and then had it stocked with fingerlings. A church elder that was involved with the project also had several ponds and had hooked a big channel cat and left him alive for us. We show up and he's sitting in an "Oscar" Coleman cooler, so that instantly became the big cats name. Daddy took his razor sharp pocket knife and removed a triangle section of skin between 'Oscars eyes and we let him loose in his new home.

You'd see that big boy swimming on top sucking in food like a vacuum cleaner and instantly knew it was him because he was the big fish in a small pond... literally.

Daddy said, if he ever got hooked - he hits the grease on the third strike. 

My uncle put the line to him and was hootin' and hollern'. Daddy calmly said 'ease him back in'. I thought a fist fight was going to ensue, but my uncle heeded and let Oscar go. In the end, I caught him the last two times over a ten year span and he weighed close to 25 pounds if memory serves. We fed our fish on a regular basis and there was nothing like seeing them blowing it up.


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## Capt Glenn Flowers (Jul 26, 2018)

jlw1972 said:


> How do you grow a 53lb blue in a pond? Transplant?


They are hybrid catfish. A cross between a female channel cat and a male blue cat. Lab-made super catfish, the fastest growing in the world. Hybrid catfish can reach 50lbs in 5-7 years attaining 10lbs a year. Their maximum size is still unknown but I'd be willing to bet Steve has 80lbers in his ponds right now. We have caught countless 40 pounders from his ponds. Their 1st two years of growth is almost normal in comparison to other catfish, but after that, they will begin to grow 30% faster each following year. 

Link below will explain them


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## JoeyWelch (Sep 25, 2009)

Capt Glenn Flowers said:


> They are hybrid catfish. A cross between a female channel cat and a male blue cat. Lab-made super catfish, the fastest growing in the world. Hybrid catfish can reach 50lbs in 5-7 years attaining 10lbs a year. Their maximum size is still unknown but I'd be willing to bet Steve has 80lbers in his ponds right now. We have caught countless 40 pounders from his ponds. Their 1st two years of growth is almost normal in comparison to other catfish, but after that, they will begin to grow 30% faster each following year.
> 
> Link below will explain them
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8XMLgC3aPg


Yep. That’s pretty cool. What are they eating when they get big in these ponds? Just man made fish food or do they stock with bait fish? A few cats that size could eat up some groceries.

I’m glad to hear that it’s not the typical pay lake situation where they transplant them from the rivers. Really not sure if that legal here or not.


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## FishWalton (Jul 22, 2010)

jlw1972 said:


> Yep. That’s pretty cool. What are they eating when they get big in these ponds? Just man made fish food or do they stock with bait fish? A few cats that size could eat up some groceries.
> 
> I’m glad to hear that it’s not the typical pay lake situation where they transplant them from the rivers. Really not sure if that legal here or not.



I don't know if they feed them anyting but man-made pellets. Have seen the feed truck in action broadcasting feed. I think there are feeders as well. They have big aerators that churn up the water for oxygen when needed. I don't think it's legal to move fish from one place to another in Florida without a permit of some time. Not sure. incidentally, that info Flowers posted about what they are was very interesting. personally, i have never heard of hybrids


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## Capt Glenn Flowers (Jul 26, 2018)

He feeds them pellets several times a day but also stocks threadfin herring. I've thrown a cast net on a school of herring at Steves years ago just to look at them. All of Steves fish are raised from babies, it is illegal in Florida to stock Flatheads or blue catfish and is also illegal to transport them to other bodies of water.

Steve is growing genetically bred super cats.


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## FishWalton (Jul 22, 2010)

Capt Glenn Flowers said:


> He feeds them pellets several times a day but also stocks threadfin herring. I've thrown a cast net on a school of herring at Steves years ago just to look at them. All of Steves fish are raised from babies, it is illegal in Florida to stock Flatheads or blue catfish and is also illegal to transport them to other bodies of water.
> 
> Steve is growing genetically bred super cats.



Cool, I thought they were just regular blues.


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