Fish Stocking

Stocking a Texas Fishing Lake or Farm Pond

See Also:
Desirable Texas Fish
Undesirable Fish
Fishing lake Aeration

Species Selection and Stocking
The choice of fish to stock depends on the pond owner’s goals and on the resources available. It is very difficult to manage a pond of less than 1 acre for bass and bluegill. If your pond is less than 1 acre, catfish is probably your best
choice. See Extension publication B-1319, “Catfish in Farm Ponds,” for more detailed information. The most common stocking strategy is to combine largemouth bass and bluegill (or largemouth bass, bluegill and redear sunfish). The combination generally works well in ponds larger than 1 acre and provides excellent fishing for both species indefinitely.
The beauty of the bass and bluegill system is its simplicity. In a well-fertilized pond, zooplankton and insect larvae will
be plentiful enough to supply food for bass fry and all sizes of bluegill. The bluegill will reproduce and grow rapidly
with the abundant food and provide excellent forage (food) for the bass. If bass are not over-harvested, they will keep
the bluegill from overpopulating. Some large bluegill will survive bass predation to provide good bluegill angling.
Channel catfish may also be added to a bass and bluegill pond, but the catfish will consume a portion of the food
supply, slightly reducing the total pounds of bass and bluegill the pond can maintain.

Recommended stocking rates in Texas lakes and ponds vary with the size,location and condition of the pond or lake and the desires of the pond owner.  A typical pond larger than 1 acre that will be fertilized should be stocked with 1,000 bluegill fingerlings (or 60 adults), 100 largemouth bass and 100 channel catfish per acre. Bass, forage fishes and catfish for stocking new or renovated ponds can be obtained from private hatcheries. Private hatcheries will deliver directly to ponds and can provide fish at almost any time of the year. Many offer varieties or hybrids that have been selected for rapid growth. SoilMovers can help you with the selection of a reputable hatchery.

Stocking of 3- to 5-inch bluegill is most often done in the fall or early winter. The bluegill will grow and spawn by the following spring. Bass are stocked in late May or June and grow rapidly, feeding on the new bluegill fry. Bluegill will spawn two or three more times before fall, providing adequate forage for the bass. Bass growth should average1/4 to 1/2 pound in the first year and can approach 2 pounds if forage is plentiful. Catfish can be stocked in fall or spring. If stocked together always stock catfish as large or larger than the bass. Catfish usually cannot successfully reproduce in ponds with bass and bluegill populations and will have to be restocked as they are fished out.

Flathead catfish are voracious eaters, cannibalistic, and grow large enough to prey on even large bass. Other
species that should not be stocked into farm ponds are common carp and bullhead catfish. Common carp can
overpopulate rapidly, eat eggs of other fish, compete for food and muddy the pond through their bottom feeding
activity. These species also compete for the available food resources and that can affect the survival of desirable fish.
 

Species that should not be stocked into farm ponds or should be stocked only under certain conditions include
crappie, flathead catfish, common carp and green sunfish.

Rotenone is a registered aquatic chemical that is used to kill fish. In Texas, rotenone for pond renovation can be
purchased from most farm supply or feed-and-seed stores. You must have a private applicator license to purchase
and use this chemical. Rotenone comes in liquid or powder formulations, at a concentration of 5 percent active ingredient. Rotenone should be applied at a rate of 10 pounds per acre-foot. The volume of water in the pond (in acre-feet), or that remaining after drawdown, must be estimated so this concentration of rotenone can be calculated. One gallon of the liquid rotenone formulation (5 percent) is sufficient to treat approximately 1 acre-foot. The acre-feet in a
particular pond can be calculated by multiplying the surface area in acres times the average depth in feet. For
example, a 2-acre pond with an average depth of 6 feet would have 12 acre-feet, and would require 12 gallons
of the liquid 5 percent formulation to treat. Powdered rotenone should be mixed to a “soupy”
consistency with water (about 2 gallons per pound of powder). Liquid rotenone also should be diluted with
water at a rate of about 10 gallons of water to 1 gallon of rotenone. Apply rotenone evenly over the pond using
buckets, sprayers or pumps. If the pond is more than 4 feet deep, use a hose to pump rotenone into deep sections of the pond. Rotenone applied properly and at recommended rates will not harm most livestock, even if
they drink the water. Pigs, however, might be affected by the rotenone formulation, and ducks and geese may suffer
if they gorge themselves on dead or dying fish.
Caution: Make sure no water containing rotenone runs off your property to kill fish elsewhere!

Rotenone is usually applied in the summer or fall when water temperature is above 70 degrees F. Contact a fisheries biologist or county Extension agent for additional information on purchasing and applying rotenone. Rotenone will dissipate within 3 to 10 days, depending on weather conditions. Generally it is safe to restock 2 to 3 weeks after applying rotenone. To check for the presence of rotenone, place a few small bluegill in a minnow bucket
and float it in the pond. If the fish are still alive after 24 hours it is safe to restock.