It’s even cooler today, meaning it’s almost time to stop feeding the fish. Once the water temperature begins to drop, so does their metabolism — by mid-winter, they will be almost motionless in the deep part of the pond. I have a $5 catfish that has grown to be big enough for dinner for two; you can’t see him in the photo because he’s shy, and almost the same color as the liner, but now that I’ve walked away from the pond, he’ll suck up the remaining food like a whiskered vacuum cleaner.
A couple of years ago, I had a similar big cat, who come spring (after a really cold, cold winter), floated to the top of the pond, still alive, but barely. I tried desperately to warm him up, get him moving, but he succumbed. The whole ordeal made me late for an interview, with, of all people, a fish and wildlife officer. When I explained that I was late because I’d been attempting to resuscitate a catfish, he just gave me an odd look…
Oh well.
Maybe the current big cat will survive the winter — if not, Kenyon Bailey should have a whole tank of them for $5 each, come spring.
