I’m new to pond stocking. Where do I start?

Whether you’re a brand new owner to an older pond, or a seasoned owner of a brand new pond, taking the first steps in creating a stocking plan can understandably be intimidating. You can look at any number of trustworthy resources available out there, and probably find a conflicting (and meanwhile, correct) opinion on every one of them.

The only way to begin answering the question of “how do I stock my pond?” is considering your goal. If your goal is to set up a trophy bass pond, your stocking plan is going to look very different than someone who wants to set up a fast-action pan fish pond for their 5 year old grand kids. If you’re not sure what your goal is yet, this is a perfect time to decide before you start investing in your pond. Don’t make it too complicated: Ask yourself, “what do I enjoy catching?”

In deciding your goal beyond that simple question, a few things should play into your decisions: What is my pond capable of supporting, realistically? For example, in general 1 acre of pond can support about 100 lbs of largemouth bass maximum. If you’re dealing with a quarter acre pond and shooting for trophy bass, your goal may not be attainable - your pond just doesn’t have the space required to grow an adequate amount of forage.

Other questions you may want to consider: Do I want to stock catch-ready sized fish, or am I happy with fingerling size and watching them grow? Budget will play into this answer, as well as your level of patience.

No matter what your end goal is, the most important thing to get right is your predator to prey ratio. The last thing you want to do is overstock your predators (think bass, crappie, etc) and understock your forage (bluegill, sunfish, minnows). What you’ll end up with is a lot of starving, stunted sport fish.

Our curated pond packages are set up with the perfect quantities for a half acre pond, as a good starting point for reference. If you’re working with something smaller than a half acre, take those packages and divide the predator quantities by 2.

Our biologists are ready to assist with any questions you may have about stocking your pond. Don’t hesitate to send us a message or give us a call. Happy fishing!