Ponds are a staple fibre of the farm landscape painting . Many have a basal purpose of watering stock or providing irrigation for harvest , but they can easily double as high - quality fisheries with proper building and management . Nothing is more “ country ” than a slothful afternoon of fishing on the farm . It ’s fun for vernal and old , and a farm pool full of fish provides the added benefit offarm - raised foodfor the table . Managing an subsist farm pond or creating the correct pond is the key to year of delectation . On the other hand , poor pond construction or the incorrect pool choice can not only be frustrating , but it can speedily become a money perdition .
Preparing for a Farm Pond
see for some basic features to move around an existingfarm pondinto a fish pond . The pond should be at least 1 acre in sizing . Smaller ponds can knead , but beat some difficulties in contend the fish population .
Pisces ponds should be at least 6 pes deep , but no more than 12 to 15 feet deep . The water system level should have a mechanics of control , such as a sleeved standpipe fitted with a thin - off valve at the bottom . The organ pipe and cut - off valve ascendance urine levels by allowing you to remove lower , unaerated weewee .
in the end , look for obvious problems , including inconsistent pond water levels , outflow in dekametre , or broad vegetation in the pond , such as algae , cattails or phragmites . depend on the severity of the problem , it might be good to start out anew , rather than seek to set an old pond problem , particularly if it involves your dam or basin .
Whether judge an exist farm pool or build up a novel one , focus on the pond ’s location . Farm sites should be evaluated from two perspective : ability to hold up a pond and safety should a dam fail .
Kerry Prather , a fisheries biologist with more than 20 years ’ experience and owner of Bluegrass Lake Management , LLC , recommends finding a site that has a strong clay floor with 12 acres of watershed — the area of ground where all of the water under it or drain off of it goes — per Akka of pond . Starting with these parameters give a pond resistant to passing water and show a source of water that keeps your pond in balance . Having too much water system can increase sedimentation , stick in pollutants at mellow pace and strain dams . Of of course , having too little water creates problem with maintain water supply profoundness , which can leave to vegetation encroachment , poor fish growth and O depletion .
pay close attention to the pool ’s watershed is critically important . The best river basin are dominated bytreesor grasses . pool vegetation provides an outstanding filter , so pollutant , like nutrients from fertilizer , manure , pesticides and deposit , are minimized . Row crop on the surrounding site will introduce pollutants and sediments ; however , their effects can be palliate if informant waterways are plant in vegetation and row - harvest field of operation are buffered by vegetation . Nutrients are important to a pool for promoting strong Pisces growth , but a well - manage fertilizing regime is in effect than attempting to eliminate excessive nutrients from the reservoir watershed .
Finally , do n’t ignore other landscape features that may bring unwanted trouble to your pond . Look for contamination sources like sewer , storage tanks and even other bodies of water supply . Ponds and rivers that outpouring can bring unwanted material — most commonly , unwanted fish specie — to your sportfishing muddle .
Pond and the Farm Landscape
We ’ve concentrate extensively on what get along into your farm pool , but brush off the outlet could be ruinous . A pool is a man - made consistency of pee hold by a dam . Dams can leak , deteriorate and fail . A wafture of water can be a destructive force , so be conservative about what ’s downstream . route , homes , railroad track andbarns , to mention a few body structure , should be avoided below any novel pool construction .
Dams are the anchor of a farm pool . The Natural Resources Conservation Service urge your farm pond be locate where the maximum volume of water can be maintained with the least amount of stain movement . Take reward of nature trough so decameter are not as magnanimous . Clay should be the rife ground on the farm pool situation . It can be used to create your levee , dam core and seal for your farm pool ’s basin . The basin should decline rapidly to a depth of 2 or 3 foot along the pond border . This helps control pond vegetation problem and improves fishing . Include a drain that gives you dominance of the water level , including full pool drainage .
This dam is have back a large volume of water , so include expert in your pool ’s construction . They can aid determine spillway want , contrive your drain pipes and verify your pool fit your drainage basin . look for professionals from companies with broad experience in pool twist or agencies such as NRCS or res publica fish and wildlife authority .
If you ’re building a farm pond from scratch , clearly determine the role of the pond on your farm . This will give you the opportunity to manage the efflux of your pool during construction for other purposes .
Drain pipes can be installed to filllivestocktanks . you may also grant livestock access to your pond throughfencing , but it ’s highly recommend to use a drain pipe from your pond to fill a armored combat vehicle instead of allow for them access to the banks . Keeping hooves out of the pond minimizes dirt corpuscle in the water column and keeps out brute dissipation .
A fencing should be installed roughly 60 feet around the pool ’s perimeter . institute the area within the fence with shrubs and grasses that do good wildlife , and you ’ll attract more critter to your farm and provide a instinctive filter for your pool . This vegetative fender will help filter water coming into the pond , controlling excessive nutrients and other pollutants .
Stocking Pond Fish
A well - positioned and well - designed farm pool is poised to be the foundation of a cracking fishery . Avoid the temptation to stock a pool with Pisces catch from a unlike area . Not all fish species are well - befit for pool living . Ultimately , the drill often leads to undesirable consequence , because predator - prey relationship are brainsick . Maintaining balance of a pond - fish community is the most significant aspect of a long - lived and fertile farm fishing pool .
old age of experience and research should take precedence over test - and - fault ego - stocking . State fish and wildlife federal agency or secret consultant can generate a fish program well suited for your farm pool .
In Kentucky , Prather has a proven formula that solve . A common combining for a farm pond is bluegill ( prey ) and large - mouth bass ( predatory animal ) . In the downfall , fingerling bluegill are stocked at a charge per unit of 400 per surface Accho of pool . The following spring , 120 fingerling large - mouth basso per surface Accho of pond are added . To add a little more diversity to the pond , redear sunfish can replace 40 percent of the bluegill . add 50 fingerling epithelial duct catfish per acre in the fall is a great choice , because while they are n’t sustainable in a pond setting , they make great board menu and fishing playfulness .
After stocking a new pool , it will take several years to develop the fish community . Stocking is most often done with fingerlings ( just a few inch long ) , so it takes time for them to maturate before you could glean . The time period will be tied to the fertility of the pond . In idealistic luck , large - lip bass voice will reach 12 inches in one to two age after stocking and usually will reproduce their second yr . Bluegill should multiply in their first year . Pay aid for Lepomis macrochirus small fry the first summertime after stocking . If they ’re present , you’re able to begin harvesting them the play along summertime .
As you harvest , be careful not to harvest just one species . Many pool keeper fall dupe to focusing on bass voice , unknowingly countenance Lepomis macrochirus to become overpopulated . To protect the marauder base of operations , consider constitute a 15 - inch lower limit for the harvest of bass . Be conservative when enacting a hard-and-fast catch - and - release fishing programme , because the pond fish universe can become out of balance wheel — not to cite all the work going into creating a farm - pond fishery should be rewarded with fine mesa menu ! Prather notes , “ A safe rule of quarter round is for every 1 hammer of bass harvested , 15 to 20 case-by-case bluegills should be removed , and on an average pool , reap between 15 and 20 pound of bass per Accho . ”
Total fish harvest is settle by the pond ’s fertility and size of it . A 2 - Akka pool in the middle of a forest may only sustain 100 pounds of Pisces the Fishes harvest per year , whereas a fecund farm pond may support a crop of 800 pound sign of fish per year . Fish growth is tied to the pond ’s richness . A simple measure that correlate to fertility is alkalinity . An middling pool has alkalinity of 50 to 100 parts per million . Forty to 50 percent of a pool ’s Pisces production can be harvested in a year . Production is a measure of fish weight , not the numeral of individuals .
There may be no better direction to increase your pond ’s productivity than dressing , but it can backlash or be a waste of money . Infertile ponds are often cleared and have excessive amounts of pond vegetation . They demo hapless fish growth and low telephone number of fish . If you deal a fertilization program , it must be maintained annually . Avoid fertilise in circumstances where natural pool fertility is fair to middling , your pool has inordinate water efflux or light penetration in your pool is unequal .
To ascertain that your fertility regimen is a good investing , confabulate a fishery professional . extravagant nutrients can lead to alga blooms , which can lead to fish putting to death , should the algae die from a lack of light . Your direction master might advocate adding water - soluble liquid fertilizers , phosphorous or granular fertilizers to the pool .
An Aged Farm Pond
Should you have some older ponds with live Pisces , you may cerebrate you ’re ahead of the game . That for sure could be the guinea pig , but most likely it ’s not . Was the pool appropriately stocked ab initio and harvest appropriately ? Are combinations of predator and prey in the appropriate balance ? In many cases , the response to these question are no , but you might not have to start entirely over .
Pay attending to what ’s caught in your pool to determine if your old pool is functioning properly . A well - balanced pond will have a strong universe of bluegills 6 inches in length and declamatory and a diverse raiment of bass weighing up to 2 pounds and big .
Overcrowding can happen with both predator and prey species . If there are many 3- to 5 - inch bluegill and a rarely caught gravid bass ( greater than 2 pounds with few smaller bass ) , then the pool is overstocked with bluegill . Remove excess bluegill from the pond , protect bass , and consider stocking fingerling bass at a rate of 50 per surface acre for one or two years . If bass are overpopulated , then only big bluegill ( 9 inches or expectant ) will be present , and bass part will be numerous and minor ( less than a Ezra Loomis Pound ) . The remedy in this consideration is removing excess bass . devote care to changes in fry populations and your catch after you make these adjustment .
Not all situations have a redress . This can be the case with an “ inherited ” sportfishing pond . These ponds often include unwanted species , including carp , bullhead catfish and crappie . Prey metal money are often stunted in size and can have enlarged or bulging eyes . Predators , such as bass or catfish , will expose large heads and slender bodies . The best redress for these super unbalanced situations is to drain the pool and come out over .
A farm pond for sportfishing is a innate community in an unnatural setting . Prather say it substantially : “ A valet - made pool is affected , so be cook for unexpected situations . ” There could be circumstances that cause fish killing that ca n’t well be detected . Should it encounter to you , do n’t get deter . Learn from the experience , and move forward . Fishing is a enceinte means to connect with family and nature , and some may argue a avocation farm without a fishing pond is n’t a sideline farm at all .
