Hey everyone this is my first post on the forum. As of today I am a proud first time home buyer. Well, I will be in a couple of weeks after the move is finished, well anyways ill get back on point. The home I purchased came with 4 acres and on the property are two gorgeous albeit smallish ponds and they seem to be well taken care of minus the lily pads in the bottom one of attached pics. However, I know the fish haven't been restocked in years and I'm also not sure whats in these ponds besides a couple of BG I caught on some casts. The previous owner stated on pond held catfish and BG, while the larger of the two had LMB and BG. I am seeking advice on how people with more experience would deal with the situation would deal with restocking. Should I just go ahead and pump and seine it and have a complete restock, or should I just restock without draining it. My goals are to just enjoy it and have fun catching decent sized fish (LMB or similar) and a lot of action. They don't have to be monster trophies or anything its more just to have a good time. I do have experience with ponds but they were catfish ponds that we opened to the public to fish and pay by the pound per catch. So I'm not a complete novice in pond care just never had to take over someone else's mess and try to correct it to my satisfaction. So If you could give me your opinion on whether to just restock or go ahead a drain, seine, and then restock. Thanks for any advice I look forward to hearing it. (Also what size do you think the ponds are previous owner has no clue I'm guessing 1/4 maybe?)


https://imgur.com/a/ZIRON "Here is the link to the pictures"

Welcome to PB. I believe I would first tackle what looks like a weed issue in the small pond. I would also fish them and keep records of the catch before I jumped into anything drastic.

Welcome. You're right, that looks like a great property. Others will come along and provide additional suggestions, but most will tell you to take an inventory of what you have swimming in there before changing/correcting. A quick search will yield a relative weight chart for the types of fish you have. Throw a few get togethers and start pulling fish out. Comparing what you catch to the RW chart can tell you a lot about the balance in your ponds. It would be good to get in a boat and determine depths and how much muck you've got on the bottom. Begin considering aeration. I would also figure out a budget you're willing to spend initially and annually. Docks, toys, feed and feeders, etc are all options, but cost $$$.

Thank you I do love the property. I do plan on doing some fishing to see what I can bring out of there. I agree with finding the depth I'm gonna put a little boat out there and get the average depth with a anchor and some rope but I can tell it is at least 10 ft most likely because right off the bank it has about a 3 ft drop and gradually goes down it seems. As for feeders I plan on building something off the island that will hang over the water and give a consistent feeding with a automatic feeder. I don't think I'm gonna add a dock I like the look of it without one and I can reach most of the pond easily from side to side. As for aeration I need to read more into it, I've never ran a aerated system to a pond before. Thanks for the advice

Thanks for the response, yea the lower pond has a lily pad issue that will be the first thing I take care of once I'm settled in to everything. I plan on fishing it a bit first of course just not sure the best way to get a accurate count of said fish if they don't bite haha. I plan on grabbing some feed in the next week or so and throwing it out and seeing what eats.

drussell89,
Welcome to Pond Boss.....Tons of info and good helpful folks here.....

drussell89, welcome to Pond Boss!!

Because you mentioned draining the ponds as a possibility, what are your water sources for filling the ponds back up, if you went that route?

In some areas of the country, having the pond fill back up with rainwater run-off can be quite a gamble.

You may want to consider leaving the lily pads alone until you see how things go. They are likely buffering nutrients which is especially critical in a small pond. You may trade lily pads for algae and submerged plants. They may also add nice color depending on what variety they are. Also be careful how much the feed adds nutrients to your other pond. Welcome and have fun! Playing with ponds is great.