I'm looking to purchase property with an existing 3/4 acre pond and the owner mentioned that is was stocked with fish from nearbylakes, streams, etc. so no way to know exactly what's in there. To my question......Would it be possible to seine what is in there and put some sort of barrier in place so I could enjoy fishing one part of the pond and do fesh stocking of the other side of the pond. I'd hate to kill whatever is in there and then not be able to enjoy fishing for 3+ years.

That will be difficult. If the pond bottom has any irregularities in it, fish can swim under the net. Small fish can swim through the net, and over time algae growing on the netting could completely block any water flow.

You can partially drain/kill/restart and be catching harvestable sized fish in less than a year if you stocked advanced sized feed trained fish and initiate a feeding program with good quality fish food.

What fish species are in the pond now? What are your goals for the pond?

kbh229, I've tried the barrier deal several times, and I've had less than stellar results. The issues have been fish movement, or the difficulty in properly voiding the area of all fish during the initial setup.

If you drag a net out from the bank to cordon off an area, even an uneven bottom or any small limbs on the bottom of the pond can cause the net to come up, and create an opening.

Also, unless you get a really big net, there's just not that much water available for recreational fishing. I have a 70' net, and even on a curved bank, I get less than 1/10 of an acre secured. I'll probably keep trying to do what you're talking about, I just haven't been able to make it work with any consistency yet.

What are your goals for the pond? If you end up purchasing maybe you treat it as a put and take for a year with heavy fishing pressure. Possibly shock it and remove any unwanted species. What does the current owner think is in it now?

I think going the mesh route as stated above you're really not going to have much fishing area and then when it is all said and done you might end up right back where you started if it doesn't hold the desired fish.

Thanks for all the comments.......I think what I will end up doing if I get the property will be to kill existing fish and restock. Seems like this would be the best option to really be able to control and manage properly. I plan to stock FHM and 2-4" Bluegill and Redear in Spring and then Bass in the Fall.

I would have to "test the waters" before I killed the pond. Not knowing what's in there would drive me nuts, not to mention, it would be a bummer if your kill brought up a slough of lunkers!

+1 I would try hard to find somebody with a big seine, or other means, to harvest what I could before I killed the pond. Who knows, that harvesting activity might make me change my mind.

Not knowing where in Tx. you are, (i.e. how near a fishery management co. with an electro-shocking boat) it's hard to say what route to take. But, if it was in your budget, I'd think about electro-shocking the pond first, to see what was in there and if it could be turned around in 2 years without completely killing and starting over.

But, if you know what's in there, starting over might be the best option. With the correct stocking and supplemental feeding plan, you can grow fish pretty quickly in a pond.