Heh - I like that term about catfish: Hillbilly sharks. I wish I lived near your Dad’s pond - I’d have been happy to help keep the catfish population down to a reasonable level. :-)
A couple years ago there was a drought and they all died.
Dad passed and somebody else owns it now so I have no idea if the other critters have returned, in their absence.
Hope so.
It was once a beautiful bog, full of myriad species.