How to Stock Your Pond With Bass Fish
- 1). Prepare your pond by testing the water quality. You may want to have a water analysis done to be sure your alkalinity is higher than 51 parts per million and your pH reading is between 6.5 and 7.5. You should also be sure there is no ammonia and check the ratio of chlorides to nitrates, being certain there are about six times the amount of chlorides. Largemouth bass like cover, so add some wood and grassy vegetation; they often spawn in reed beds. Your pond should be at least one acre in surface size because largemouth bass can be easily overharvested in smaller ponds.
- 2). Gauge the water temperature of your pond. It is best to stock your pond with bass in either the spring or the fall, when the pond temperature is lower than 65 F. Do not stock your pond when the temperature is higher than 75 F. The cooler the water, the more stress on the fish will be reduced. Temperatures higher than 75 F can cause fish to go into shock and die.
- 3). Choose the right bass. Though there are many species and subspecies of fish designated as some type of bass, there are three main types for which anglers usually fish: Largemouth, smallmouth and spotted. The smallmouth and spotted bass prefer deeper waters and faster currents, so they usually are found in rivers and streams. Largemouth bass are right at home in a pond. The Florida largemouth, northern largemouth and Florida hybrid bass are the varieties of largemouth bass stocked most often.
- 4). Find a supplier. Contact several commercial hatcheries to find out about delivery schedules and procedures and compare prices. You can stock adult fish, but fingerlings are less expensive. One hundred fingerlings, about 2 to 4 inches in length per acre, is ideal. If you are stocking adult fish, you will need about 20 bass, between 8 and 10 inches long, per acre.
- 5). Select and add an appropriate baitfish. The diet of a largemouth bass consists largely of smaller fish and breams, and fathead minnows are a favorite food source. They should be stocked at a water temperature of about 60 F and at a ratio of 10-to-1, meaning 10 breams or minnows for every bass you plan to stock.
- 6). Add the bass to the pond, but not right away. When the fish truck arrives, add some pond water to the shipping container gradually over a period of about half an hour. The water chemistry between the shipping tank and your pond probably is not identical, so it is important to adjust the fish to the difference slowly. After you finish mixing in the pond water, lower the shipping container into your pond and let the bass swim out at their own pace.
Source...