February 2021

Fish stocking advice: knowing your lake is the key to effective stocking

February 25, 2021

By Matt Ward

Looking out across the country, you can see countless waterbodies dotting the landscape – ponds and lakes of every size.

Most will have fish, but they’re subject to endless pressures: droughts that constrain fisheries; floods that scatter fish about the countryside; waterfowl gathering calories for migration; fishermen invited or not who ply their lines; or even otters grabbing a meal as they pass through the landscape.

Sooner or later virtually all water bodies will need to be stocked with fish in order to support healthy fisheries. Whether minimal inputs or high-catch rates are your game, thoughtful stocking is key to lake success and effective fishery management.

Let’s take a look at a handful of the most popular fisheries and discuss how pond stocking can best be employed.

New Lakes

New lakes offer the most opportunities for lake owners.

Careful selection of the timing of introduction, species, and numbers of fish stocked is key to producing the kind of fishery a lake manager wants. A good pond stocking plan should take into account expectations during a drought, the desired fishery outputs, water body physical composition and available cover. A good pond stocking plan should also be preceded by water testing to make sure all is in order.

Trophy Bass

If you are looking for a trophy bass fishery, you will need to introduce forage fish at the right time, helping small forage to peak at the time that you introduce fingerling Florida bass.

Trophy fisheries are relatively low-density fisheries and so a pond stocking plan should be put in place to boost your lake’s carrying capacity if you want consistent catch rates. This should be accomplished with pelleted fish food and/or supplemental forage.

Feed-trained Largemouth

Other popular fishery options include feed-trained largemouth bass, which can provide some of the highest catch rates around.

Well over 100 feed-trained bass can be stocked per acre as long as feeding rates are kept up. This kind of fishery is ideal for casual fishermen, the young, or the young at heart. Feed-trained bass can easily hit weights of 5 pounds or more. While feed-trained bass are fertile, young do not learn to eat fish food so restocking is needed to maintain their populations.

Hybrid Striped Bass

Hybrid striped bass can also be stocked at high rates allowing for exciting fishing.

Hybrids are sterile, but rapidly grow to 5 pounds with some achieving well over 10 pounds in weight. These fish are relatively inexpensive and sold at small sizes that rapidly grow into hard-fighting bruisers.

Contrary to popular belief, hybrids can be stocked in small waters and often offer a tremendous option for small pond owners. Most hybrids live for seven or eight years in the South, achieving much greater ages in the North. Restocking should be planned to maintain populations.

Catfish

A quality catfish pond should almost always be stocked with channel catfish. Blue catfish do grow larger and can be stocked if desired, though these apex predators usually grow so large that only low numbers of fish can be supported in a given pond or lake.

Flathead catfish are even more problematic and tolerate even lower stocking densities. In channel catfish fisheries baitfish are beneficial though their value is secondary to pelleted fish food for feeding the fish.

Channel catfish taste excellent and can be stocked in relatively high numbers when supported with supplemental feed. Up to 500 catfish can be stocked per acre. Higher stocking rates should be accompanied with high harvest to keep the fishery healthy.

In the aquaculture industry, channels are normally grown to a couple of pounds before harvest so plans should be made to begin harvest of channel catfish within a year or two of stocking to keep populations in check as the pond ages.

Existing Fisheries

Existing fisheries may require stocking for a variety of reasons.

Put-and-take fisheries with feed-trained bass, hybrids and catfish should be restocked to maintain populations of a finite resource of fish. Forage fish may need to be stocked to recover a population if predator fish populations exceed their food source.

Lakes that recover from droughts often need stockings to recover fish populations that have shrunk with falling water levels. Some situations are simple, but most require an intimate knowledge of the fishery to be correctly selected.

Effective stockings of existing fisheries should generally be preceded by a thorough survey of the fishery. Beware of services that offer to stock large numbers of fish without taking the time to know your fishery.

One stocking you can generally pursue without a prior fishery survey is Rainbow Trout. Rainbow Trout provide an exciting winter fishery when stocked in sufficient densities.

These fish won’t survive long once water temperatures warm in spring, but can provide excellent table fare in the meantime. That being said, trout are predatory fish so do know that trout will generally lower forage populations over the winter, so be sure to provide them with plenty of fish food to minimize forage loss.

The key to getting the most from your body of water is to develop a strategic pond stocking plan as central to your fishery management.

When deciding what fish to stock, make sure that your pond stocking plan is developed by an experienced biologist with a solid reputation. Good biologists will design a pond stocking plan that will help you efficiently pursue your fishing goals for years to come. When you get your stocking plan, ask if the person you hire will provide support as needed after the initial stocking.

Ponds and lakes are dynamic environments that can experience a variety of problems that may require intervention. An ounce of prevention … well, you get the idea ….

Why Choose Lochow Ranch for Pond & Lake Management

Serving Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana, Lochow Ranch Pond & Lake Management proudly puts more than two decades of experience to work for you. Our team includes biologists, technicians and other professionals with deep expertise in pond and lake management services.

Check us out if you are considering building a lake, looking for pond stocking services, to buy fish for a pond, or getting professional pond management and maintenance or fishery management. Our services include lake design, pond construction, pond renovation, pond water testing, electrofishing, pond stocking, control of pond weeds, and pond liming and fertilizing. Let us help you build your dream pond that will delight your family and friends for generations to come.

Click here to get in touch to get started today.

Matt Ward is a Fishery Biologist for Lochow Ranch Pond & Lake Management. He has a Master of Science in Biochemistry from Texas A&M University and has worked in fisheries management in Texas for 15 years. He brings a passion for good science and an interdisciplinary approach to the natural sciences to help property managers steward their aquatic resources and achieve management objectives.

The Big Freeze: how did last week’s arctic blast affect Texas ponds and fish?

February 23, 2021

By Matt Ward

First, let me say that we sincerely hope that all of you are OK after last week’s extreme winter weather. Our thoughts are truly with those who experienced the worst of the power and water outages. If you were among this group we hope that you are on the road to recovery this week.

I have to say it was heartening to see so many coming together to help each other out during the big freeze.

On a related note, we have received a good number of questions from our clients about the effect of cold on ponds and lakes so we hope this brief summary helps to answer most of your questions.

Please drop us a line if you have any other specific concerns or questions we can answer around fishery management or pond management in general.

What about the fish?

As most of you know, fish are cold-blooded (“ectotherms” would be a more scientifically correct term for the science nerds).

This means that during our unusually cold weather, fish body temperatures mirrored the lake temps and as such fish metabolisms slowed to a crawl. In general, most of the fish that live in our waters are accustomed to short periods of cool weather and will have fared the weather just fine.

That being said, there are a few fish that are a bit more cold-sensitive so we do want to keep an eye out for these fish and note any losses.

Threadfin shad

The most cold-sensitive fish we have in our lakes are threadfin shad. Threadfin generally experience at least partial die-offs when water temperatures dip below 45 degrees Fahrenheit.

On top of this, threadfin shad get highly lethargic and even the fish that would have survived the cold will generally get swallowed up by largemouth bass which are much less affected by the low water temps.

With last week’s cold front, we expect that we lost most or all of the threadfin shad in most every small impoundment in the state.

We’ll be monitoring populations in lakes with large amounts of shad, but we don’t expect to find shad left over. Threadfin shad availability will also likely be down this year, so expect supplies to be short as well.

If you want to restock the fish, get your orders in early and know that demand should outstrip supply.

Florida Bass

While far more cold-hearty than threadfin shad, Florida bass are famously more susceptible to cold than their northern counterparts. While cold weather can kill off Florida bass, fishery managers stock Florida bass successfully well north of the Red River.

Losses in Texas should be minor though the farther north you are, the more attention you should pay to your Florida largemouth bass stock. Northern largemouth bass are fully adapted to cold water like we experienced last week, but certain populations like feed-trained bass can be a bit more susceptible to rapidly cooling water temps.

While we expect that threadfin shad are the primary victim of last week’s arctic blast, an electrofishing survey is the best way check for any other significant impacts.

Predators get active during cold

Fish instincts do generally cause fish to go deep during cold weather, providing a small degree of protection from predators. But cold weather also increases the metabolisms of both otters and birds who need to eat more to keep warm.

While your fish may survive the cold just fine, predator consumption will rise and fish losses from predation should be expected. Do what you can to minimize loss, but look for changes in catch rates and be prepared to stock.

Vegetation takes a hit

The one really bright side of last week’s weather is that the cold-snap should provide a welcome reprieve from undesirable early season growth of pond weeds.
Cold water temperatures have likely pushed the growing season back several weeks allowing for a thorough winter kill and forcing pond weeds to grow again from seeds and roots.

Note that marginal vegetation will likely have turned completely brown. But have faith. Most native vegetation is built to survive this kind of weather event and growth will return once temperatures warm. While browned-out growth can be removed for aesthetic purposes, know that removal will likely slow recovery.

Forage fish lose cover

Whenever we lose submersed vegetation, forage fish often lose a majority of their preferred cover.

This cover loss can enable bass to depress forage populations which may not recover for several months or until supplemental stockings are deployed.
These kinds of situations really demonstrate the value of non-living cover which provides stable cover regardless of winter vegetation die-back.

The best way to monitor the impact from winter forage loss is to monitor bass health as the weather warms. If bass remain fat and healthy forage loss is likely not a concern, while thin bass indicate a lack of the same. While all gamefish benefit from robust forage populations, do note that pelleted feed-based fisheries need not be concerned about temporary forage fish depressions as gamefish rely primarily on fish food.

Keep an eye on your fishery

All in all, cold weather certainly impacts fisheries in significant ways. These impacts are generally specific to each fishery and difficult to predict across the board. In general predation will have increased and forage fish populations will have fallen. To keep your fishery developing appropriately you should monitor the fishery and make needed adjustments in a timely manner to keep your fishery developing appropriately.

Why Choose Lochow Ranch for Pond & Lake Management

Click here to get in touch to get started today.

The lake management calendar: maintaining your dream pond throughout the year

February 16, 2021

By Matt Ward

Managing your pond or lake to maximize its potential is a year-round endeavor. Careful pond cultivators follow a calendar outlining the best activities to pursue each month.

In our region, that calendar starts and ends the year with the least amount of upkeep, and surges with mid-year responsibilities. Regardless of the list length, however, each of these fishery management obligations is important to keep your dream fishing hole at its highest quality.

The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension recommends a calendar based on management, stocking, reproduction, feeding, harvesting, and drawdown, if possible.

Following is a calendar outline illustrating how smart lake and pond owners take care of their investments:

Year-round

There are a few things you can easily do year-round, such as building or renovating a pond or lake, pond water testing, harvesting excess or undersized bass or undesirable species, and clearing muddy water.

January

This month is the time to focus on agricultural limestone applications, which regulate the pH levels that are critical to fish growth and reproduction. Ponds should be tested before stocking, and Texas A&M recommends that you use the same lime used on your pastures and meadows. Lime additions are recommended from October-February.

January is also a time to focus on supplemental and new forage stocking. Pond stocking is an important part of any lake management program and requires skill and precision to ensure the results live up to your expectations and can be maintained over the long term. Determining what fish will work best for you involves many variables, including your goals and the size of your pond and lake. Fish stocking is recommended from September-June.

February

This month sees largemouth bass spawning begin and continue through April.

Also this month, experts recommend you begin scheduling electrofishing surveys, which are an excellent tool for correcting an out-of-balance pond and planning pond stocking. Electrofishing surveys accurately assess current forage and sport fish populations and help you to assess any wintertime damage quantify from cormorants or otter. Fish populations also are sampled to determine species, size, relative abundance and growth rates.

Experts use a top-of-the-line electrofishing boat to identify stunted fish or unwanted species, which can be easily and quickly removed as part of this service. An electrofishing survey is a standard scientific survey method that causes no long-term negative effect to the fish population in your pond or lake.

Performed correctly, the fish are stunned briefly; examined for species to determine abundance, population density, weights and measurements; and then quickly returned to their normal state.

An electrofishing survey is the reference point for a long-term fishery management plan, providing clues for corrective pond stocking and harvest recommendations. Experts recommend electrofishing surveys from February-June and September- November.

March

This month, experts recommend starting supplemental feeding of forage fish, catfish, hybrid striped bass and feed-trained bass.

Supplemental feeding greatly increases the weight of particularly catfish and bluegill. In managed lakes, there is more pond stocking and less available habitat and resources, therefore calling for this feeding. Supplemental feeding is recommended March-November.

Also this month, good managers begin pond weeds control and fertilization. Fertilization promotes the growth of phytoplankton, which are the foundation of aquatic ecosystems. Fertilization is recommended from March-September.

Texas A&M experts suggest that as you ponder the various ways to address pond weed control that you consider using triploid grass carp as a biological control treatment if plants they treat are present; and initiating herbicide weed control when growth begins around this time. Spot treatments of pond weeds are recommended in hot weather to avoid oxygen depletion. Control of pond weeds should be addressed from March-November, depending on your region.

April

This month will see the beginning of fingerling bass pond stocking, which goes through June.

May/June

Bluegill spawn during these two months and smart pond and lake owners may want to consider habitat enhancements to facilitate this.

These months are also part of the optimal time to conduct pond renovations, though they can be done throughout the year. Such renovations can include addressing dam leaks, drains, sediment, flats or shallow areas that are leading to undesirable growth of pond weeds, and other environmental problems.

July/August

These months are the best time to just chill out and enjoy your lake or pond if you’ve been on top of your fishery management needs.

If not, this is still the time to address supplemental feeding, aquatic weed control, and fertilization.

September-December

If not already addressed this year, now is the time to schedule supplemental and new forage stocking, lime addition and new electrofishing surveys.

While this schedule of monthly fishery management tasks is a good general guide, you need to evaluate your specific goals and conditions to maximizing the quality of your pond or lake year-round. At Lochow Ranch Pond & Lake Management, our team can offer expert pond management advice to make the most of your dream pond.

Why Choose Lochow Ranch

Check us out if you are considering building a lake, looking for pond stocking services, buying fish for a pond, or getting professional pond management and maintenance or fishery management. Our services include lake design, pond construction, pond renovation, pond water testing, electrofishing, pond stocking, control of pond weeds, and pond liming and fertilizing. Let us help you build your dream pond that will delight your family and friends for generations to come.

Click here to get in touch to get started today.

Prepping your pond for the season: what steps should you be taking now?

February 16, 2021

By Matt Ward

Spring will be here before you know it, along with better fishing weather. Now is the time to make sure your pond or lake delivers a top-notch fishing experience this year.

Smart pond and lake owners are choosing what fishery management approaches will make their oases meet their hearts’ desire, whether stocking with trout, creating a trophy bass pond, or adding the right forage fish for the best fish growth.

Fishery experts report that Texas farm ponds aren’t managed at their highest potential for fish production. Pond health and maintenance should be a top priority for landowners, according to the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service.

So while you might be thinking about fish stocking for your pond or lake this year, there are other important maintenance steps to take to ensure the fish are plentiful and biting in months to come.

If you were underwhelmed with your lake’s performance in 2020 or are unsure of the current status, now is the time to be considering what approach will yield best outcomes in 2021.

Here are fishery management steps you should be looking at now:

Electrofishing Survey

If your pond or lake is geared toward fish quality, it’s highly recommended that you start with an electrofishing survey, which typically begin in February. It’s an excellent tool for correcting an out-of-balance pond.

These electrofishing surveys accurately assess current forage and sport fish populations and quantify wintertime Cormorant or otter damage. Fish populations also are sampled to determine species, size, relative abundance and growth rates.

It’s important to use a top-of-the-line electrofishing boat to identify stunted fish or unwanted species, which can be easily and quickly removed as part of this service. An electrofishing survey is a standard scientific survey method that causes no long-term negative effect to the fish population in your pond or lake.

Performed correctly, the fish are stunned briefly, examined for species to determine abundance, population density, weights and measurements, and then quickly returned to their normal state.

An electrofishing survey is the reference point for a long-term pond management plan, providing clues for corrective stocking and harvest recommendations. While electrofishing surveys are used on established lakes to determine and diagnose problems, they’re also used as a routine management tool to identify issues before they become large and expensive problems.

Our fish experts can conduct an electrofishing survey for you using state-of-the-art techniques and equipment. Click here to learn more.

Pond stocking

Supplemental and new forage pond stocking starts as early as January and helps reconcile losses from avian predation and establish proper predator to prey ratios going into summer.

What kinds of fish will work best in your body of water involves many variables, including your own goals for your pond or lake. For example, you need to carefully assess the impact of introducing non-native species into your pond. It’s important to be aware of the fish types that can live together in harmony so your pond can sustain a healthy eco-system.

Therefore, pond stocking must start with a plan and using professional guidance is key.

This important part of any pond management program must be handled with skill and precision to ensure that the results live up to your expectations and can be maintained over the long term.

Small ponds and large lakes must be stocked and managed in different ways. Factors such as location, health and condition also must be considered. Jumpstart pond stocking rates are also different from maintenance stocking rates, and the amount of maintenance stocking varies significantly based on the size of the lake and other factors.

It’s also important to understand spawning and other characteristics of specific fish you might want to stock. For example, rainbow trout will not spawn in Texas ponds. Meanwhile, spawning for our native strain of largemouth bass can begin as early as February depending on the temperature.

Our fish stocking professionals can help you navigate the considerations for pond stocking to arrive at the best plan for your lake or pond.

Control of pond weeds

Vegetation control should be done starting early in the pond weeds growing season and follow-up treatments should be done throughout the season.

Your lake or pond is basically a small ecosystem that is cut off from many of the elements that maintain balance in natural waters. An array of products, equipment, herbicides, lake dyes and algaecides can help rid your property of nuisance aquatic plants or issues with floating, submerged or emergent pond weeds.

Some pond weeds can take over lake shorelines, making it difficult to fish from the shoreline or swim. Having some vegetation is beneficial for fish and other aquatic organisms. But too much vegetation can negatively impact aquatic organisms through a process called cultural eutrophication.

For a chemical-free approach, you can consider vegetation control as part of your pond stocking plan, such as stocking triploid grass carp and tilapia, which are among the most popular biological alternatives for removal of pond weeds. In addition, there are nutrient precipitation, fertilization regimes, and aeration systems to promote plankton blooms that improve the health of your pond and can shade out many pond weeds.

Aquatic vegetation is the cause of 80 percent of low dissolved oxygen fish kills in Texas. And the issues are complex enough that expert advice is recommended.

Our experts can help you assess the right approach to controlling vegetation in your pond or lake.

Liming and fertilizing

Just as you would fertilize fields to increase crop yields, you should fertilize a pond or lake to provide phytoplankton with adequate nutrients for fish growth and that should start now.

Proper pond fertilizing increases food availability throughout the food chain and indirectly increases the total amount of fish a pond can support. Ponds should be limed before fertilizer is applied, which is important because it increases pH and alkalinity. Even without fertilization, this may improve available nutrients which can support a phytoplankton bloom.

Harmful algae blooms and other harmful algae are becoming increasingly prevalent. To avoid such problems, you should consider establishing a long-term nutrient sequestration program.

This is not as easy as it sounds. Many lake and pond owner attempt to take this on themselves, but it really helps to bring in professionals to assist with an overall plan.

Learn more about liming and fertilization by clicking here.

Aeration & fountain maintenance

July and August can be deadly if dissolved oxygen levels are not where they should be, according to the Texas Farm Bureau.

In order to avoid catastrophe, pond and lake owners currently should be inspecting aeration and fountain maintenance or considering their implementation now. Repairs could address obvious signs of wear or just the cleaning of filters and screens.

We offer a range of aeration systems and fountain systems for ensuring your pond’s oxygen levels are optimal.

Why Choose Lochow Ranch

Click here to get in touch to get started today.

Win a Free Electrofishing Survey and Make 2021 Your Pond’s Best Year Yet

February 15, 2021

By Lochow Ranch

Your pond can become a fishing paradise that you, your family and friends will enjoy for generations.

And the first step to making that fishing paradise is to know what kind of fish are inhabiting your pond now, and which kinds to consider for pond stocking.

An electrofishing survey is how you can investigate the existing fish population in your pond.

It’s a standard fishery management process for creating a fish inventory and answering questions like:

Which species are present and how mature and large are they?
Do you need to stock forage fish so other fish can grow larger?
Are there any species that you do not want?

Electrofishing is safe and effective and does not harm fish.

At Lochow Ranch, we conduct electrofishing surveys with a custom boat uses state-of-the-art systems. These systems will briefly stun fish in your pond with a mild electrical current. Our experts then examine the fish to determine species, size, health and other characteristics. A survey can help you understand how the fish population has fared during winter months.

At the end you will have a baseline on the population in your pond. Then you can plan fish stocking to supplement the existing population and build the perfectly balanced ecosystem.

Win a Free Electrofishing Survey

We want to make 2021 a year to remember for your pond. That’s why we are giving away FIVE electrofishing surveys at no cost to lake owners in Texas.

Why Choose Lochow Ranch

Click here to get in touch to get started today.

Month: February 2021

Fish stocking advice: knowing your lake is the key to effective stocking

By Matt Ward

New Lakes

Trophy Bass

Feed-trained Largemouth

Hybrid Striped Bass

Catfish

Existing Fisheries

Why Choose Lochow Ranch for Pond & Lake Management

The Big Freeze: how did last week’s arctic blast affect Texas ponds and fish?

By Matt Ward

What about the fish?

Threadfin shad

Florida Bass

Predators get active during cold

Vegetation takes a hit

Forage fish lose cover

Keep an eye on your fishery

Why Choose Lochow Ranch for Pond & Lake Management

The lake management calendar: maintaining your dream pond throughout the year

By Matt Ward

Why Choose Lochow Ranch

Prepping your pond for the season: what steps should you be taking now?

By Matt Ward

Electrofishing Survey

Pond stocking

Control of pond weeds

Liming and fertilizing

Aeration & fountain maintenance

Why Choose Lochow Ranch

Win a Free Electrofishing Survey and Make 2021 Your Pond’s Best Year Yet

By Lochow Ranch

Win a Free Electrofishing Survey

Why Choose Lochow Ranch

Let the certified professionals at Lochow Ranch provide you with a detailed on-site assessment of your pond’s condition.

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