In order to determine which species of fish to stock, you need to consider your pond’s physical profile - including surface area, depth, habitat and life-stage - and your ultimate goal for fish stocking. Your pond’s size will determine the quantity of fish, but habitat, life-stage and your goals will determine the correct species and sizes of fish to be added to your pond or lake.

 

We have been stocking ponds and lakes in Texas for 25 years as a company and, combined, our biologists have nearly a half century of stocking experience. Based on this experience, Pond King’s fisheries biologists have formulated several fish stocking plans to give you a guideline on how many fish you can stock. Each plan is calculated for a 1 acre pond. You can multiply or divide depending on the size of your pond. If you stock around a budget instead of the pond’s capacity, just keep the ratios the same. 

Fish stocking new ponds

We love stocking new ponds with adult fish. This gives you the opportunity to start your fish out the right way so you can be fishing right away. We size the fish appropriately so we can stock your pond with both the forage and the bass at the same time - which will help you maintain the right prey-predator ratios. We have three different bass plans depending on how quickly you want to get to a quality sized fish. Also, we can supply channel catfish up to 4 pounds each depending on the season.

Fish stocking established ponds

In every situation concerning an established pond, it is best to take the time to evaluate where the lake is at in regard to both the predator and forage populations. You can waste a lot of time and money just shooting from the hip with supplemental pond stocking. Hiring a lake management professional will get you where you want to be faster and more efficiently in the long run. It is important not to stock fish that may immediately be eaten by larger fish already in the pond. For ponds over 1 acre, we can do an electroshock survey to determine the types and densities of fish present. It does not harm the fish and is the best way to get a starting point for fish stocking recommendations. In order to ensure you have the right habitat to maintain your fish population ratios, we can also do a lake mapping survey.

 

Determining the surface acreage of your pond

 

The size of the pond is important in determining the type and number of fish to stock. To calculate surface acreage, multiply the pond length by its width, then divide by 43,560 square feet per acre. For example, if you have a rectangular shaped pond, your calculation might look something like this:

206 ft. x 413 ft. = 85,078 sq. ft
85,078 sq. ft. / 43,560 sq. ft. per acre = 1.95 acres

For more on calculating your pond's surface area, visit Texas Parks & Wildlife.

 

For ponds less than 1 acre, a strategy including fish that have limited reproductive capacity is your best fit. That way you keep the overall numbers low so the average size can be larger. These fish include channel catfish, hybrid bluegill, hybrid crappie, and hybrid stripers. For ponds at or over 1 acre, you can stock just about whatever you want. We do recommend limiting the stocking of black crappie to ponds that are at least 2-3 acres. Also, if you have a muddy pond that is not able to be cleared, then you would want to primarily stick with catfish since they do not depend on sight to feed.

 

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