Corrective Stocking

Sometimes You Can Have Too Many of the Wrong Fish.

Fish populations can become unbalanced due to over harvest, under harvest and with age.

What Are You Catching?

Correcting an unbalanced fishing pond is easier said than done. The following matrix can lead most do it yourself pond owners in the right direction. However, the only true measure of a balanced fish population is an electrofishing survey done by a professional lake management company. We work closely with a network of such professionals and can put you in touch with one in your area to better serve your needs.

I catch a lot of small bass and my bream are big.

Your pond is likely bass crowded as a result of under harvest. To correct this imbalance harvest bass less than 12 inches and stock 1000 3 to 5 inch bluegill per acre. Available for home delivery orders only. Contact us to find a local management professional to assess your pond before stocking.

I catch very few bass and my bream are small.

I catch a lot of small bass and my bream are big.

Your pond is likely bream crowded resulting from an over harvest of bass or your pond experienced a fish kill in the last year. To correct the imbalance harvest all bream you catch and stock either 25 eight inch bass per acre or 12 adult bass per acre.

I am not catching very many fish.

Adding small fish to an existing pond can be an expensive snack for your fish. Adult fish can be stocked to supplement your existing population as long as your forage population will support them. Very few pond owners want to hear this, but sometimes it is cheaper to drain the pond and start over.

My fish are not growing.

I am not catching very many fish.

If your pond appears to be balanced and you simply want to improve the growth of your fish, fathead minnows and golden shiners can be stocked in the spring and fall. Installing a fish feeder and starting a fish feeding program will also improve the productivity of your pond.