OUTDOOR CORNER: POND GUIDELINES ONE CAN PUT STOCK IN

"What fish should I stock in my pond?" is a common question asked after a pond is built. Unfortunately, the answer isn't simple, but by following a few general guidelines you can have many years of angling enjoyment.

For most ponds, the best fish stocking option is the largemouth bass/bluegill/channel catfish combination. With proper management, largemouth bass and bluegill will develop self-sustaining populations. Channel catfish can, and do, reproduce in ponds, but most of the eggs and young are usually eaten by the bass and bluegill. For this reason channel catfish will need to be restocked periodically to replace those harvested.

The maximum recommended stocking rate in Missouri for new ponds is 100 largemouth bass, 500 bluegill and 100 channel catfish fingerlings per acre of water. Higher stocking rates typically result in slow growth. Because of differences in soil fertility, ponds located in different parts of the state should be stocked at different rates. Ponds with good soil fertility can be stocked at the maximum rate, while ponds with poor soil fertility should be stocked at 50 percent of the maximum rate.

Fathead minnows can be stocked in the fall or spring prior to stocking largemouth bass. The purpose of stocking these minnows in a new pond is to give the bass an additional source of food, particularly in the time period before the bluegill begin to spawn. (Later, small bluegill will become the primary food for bass). Stock fathead minnows at a rate of 2 to 3 pounds per acre.

Other species, such as redear sunfish or hybrid sunfish, can be stocked to provide additional panfish for the angler. These species should not be stocked until the original bass and bluegill populations have had three years to become established. Crappie are valuable sport fishes in larger lakes and reservoirs, but they often become crowded and slow-growing in ponds. Since crappie are difficult to manage, a Department of Conservation fisheries biologist should be consulted before stocking them.

The Department of Conservation will provide free fingerling largemouth bass, bluegill and channel catfish to pond owners to stock new ponds. To obtain fingerlings, certain requirements must be met. The pond must be at least eight feet deep, livestock must be fenced out of the pond if its is smaller than five acres, and there should be no fish in the pond, except for fathead minnows. Lastly, the pond owner agrees to allow a reasonable amount of fishing. This does not mean that the pond is open to the public; the owner keeps all trespass rights to the property.

To receive fish, complete an "Application for Fish for Stocking New Waters" and return it to your local conservation agent or a Conservation Department office before July 15. Application forms can be obtained from a conservation agent, Department of Conservation office, University Extension office or a Natural Resource Conservation Service office.

Once the application is received, a Department employee will inspect the pond to make sure it meets all of the requirements. Applicants will be notified, by letter, of approval or rejection of their application and when fish will be delivered. Bluegill and channel catfish will be delivered in September or October to a central location in each county. Largemouth bass will be delivered the following June.

Pond owners interested in species combinations not offered by the Department can purchase the fish from a commercial fish dealer. For a list of Missouri's commercial fish dealers, a stocking application, or other information about ponds, call the Department of Conservation office in Cape Girardeau at (573)290-5730.

~Brad Pobst is an aquatic services biologist with the Missouri Department of Conservation.