Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Corrective stocking Trout Fingerlings

Ok anyone got any advice for this one. I got my hands on or about to on some small trout 4"-5" for a steal. I hope to lease a pond in north GA to raise some. However I have no room for 25,000.

I plan to stock several thousand in clients ponds as instant bass food. retail will be .30-.40 depending on quantity so thought man what a great opportunity so sure enough many clients said bring 'em. Now im nervous surface temps last week were 80 in some ponds. I spoke with Bob he agreeded with me on using a tube to push them down to cooler water. Any other advice? How quickly would a trout die in 75-80 degree temps when coming from waters that are low 60's still? I want to make a little money and really just help my clietns but also don't want them to call with instant dead fish all over and ticked I had a bad idea. Man if only a month sooner not even an issue.

Greg that sounds like a great price for trout, all I can think of is to stock them early in the morning after the pond cools down overnight or a rainy day. Is there access to well water that could be pumped in for a few hours to help create a cool flow for them?

I hate to say it Greg but IMHO they would go into shock immediately at temps like that and that kind of temperature change. Pretty much belly up right away.

AP, good thinking. I will get them in NC that morning and do a few N GA mtn lake stops. I guess plan would then be to hold over night in hauling truck and be there first thing. Im hopefully yhtey wil have very soon. The longer we wait the more I wish I did not mention to clients.

Cecil I was hoping you would give your opinion. At what point do you think the temp would be a little more doable? 75 surface with some highs 60's 3 feet below? AP might be right in the am might acheive that.

Another question for Cecil. What temperature difference would it take for them NOT to go into shock? i.e. What temperature should the water in the haul truck be tempered to? 5° below pond temp? 3° below pond temp? Providing there is sufficient D.O. in the pond for the trout at time of stocking of course.

Rainman and others here including Greg might be better able to answer that, but all the literature I've seen said no more than a 5 degree temp change if you can help it and 10 degrees or more they can go into shock. But then again it depends on the actual temperature, i.e., if the went from 40 to 50 or 50 to 40 that would be much better than 60 to 70.

If acclimated to high 60's that is doable.

Thanks Cecil, yes for most fish we ae good on 5 degrees or less. If fish come from Ark we haev to acclimate to diff water quality anyways. If 10 degres or more it takes some time. I think it ws Shaun who told me research shows acclimating does little to save fish unless done over many hours. Eric you got any info on that.

Wath happend, report please

I can atest to the acclimating. Over the past two stockings I've lost fish do to temp diferences. I acclimated them for at least an hour by floating them in large plastic bags or by adding pond water very slowly to the stocking pail. I always lost fish at stocking or the next couple of days. I'm sure stress had alot to do with it also.

For this years stocking I went to the hatchery in April, before they opened to the public. The pond and the hatchery water temps were very close. I just dip net stocked them and didn't lose a fish.

up working on our bass fingerling route and needed a break so checked PB.

yes an update it went WAY better than I could have imagined. I cancelled foxworthy 10,000 order and kinda wish I would have stocked them. Anyway we stocked in 8 locations and semed to not lose a fish other than a few that we eaten right away by bass.

I left at 130 am to get to hatchery in NC early. I was at the first stop in GA at 730 am. Most ponds in N. GA were 68-73 surface temp. Not a problem just netted them or shot through hose right to the surface after a little while they went down. Hauling tank temp 58 and I did NOT temper.

Last stop near the house on golf course pond. Surface temp 81 in one location and 83 in another. I stuck the thermometer in my water shoes and swam out. The temp near my feet was 75. I would get a net full of about ~150-250 trout and swim them out and then reach down as far as I could with four foot handle net and let them swim out. We would see about 10% of the trout coem to the surface. They surprisingly were not dying at the surface in 83 they acted stupid but most seemed to go down and figure it out after about 5 mins. We did the remainder of 2500 with a tube and I held it in place with my feet. Matt took the last customer his fish the next monring and shot them in and to spite the tube coming lose and floating to the surface they even did fine in 75 surface temp. So I wish it would have been a month sooner and I would have had no issues but with the swim effort they did very well and customers very happy. I could not sleep over the worry but now if ever doing it again I now it can be done. I think they will make it about another 2-4 weeks in these ponds and bass are loving it. Oh they were 3.5-4" 48/lb.

Interesting thanks, good job