Pond Boss Forums STOCKING A NEW POND Types of fish to choose Just Starting

Waited 39 years now can finally say I have a pond 2.5 acres. Finished last week and after 3 inches of rain looking good.Have plenty of cover and left stump rows, a few humps and brush piles.Water at dam about 17 feet, shallow end averaging 3 feet Problem did not get to lime due to weather. Looking for advise on how to handle this and any other info you can offer to a first timer.

The Lime can be added to existing waters - how else could it be reapplied? Anybody from the Pineywoods areas have advice on Liming?

The closest-to-you-geographically Pond Mgt Booklet I have found online is "Sportfish Management in Alabama Ponds" (a .pdf file) which has about a half a page of info on liming. Georgia's Pond Management website is here:

Ga Pond Mgt

and has links to lots of useful info (including, I believe, the 'Bama pond book).

North Carolina's Pond Management links is here:

NC Pond Mgt

and also has a lot of useful info, including a section on liming.

You can get a lot of theory from the websites and then temper it with different experiences people here have had.

Before we provide any opinions on stocking, etc., let's get your intended direction. What do you want to do with your pond? Trophy bass, big bream, blue catfish - what's your pleasure?

Let your water set for awhile to get whatever alkilinity you can from the soil. Then determine the amount of lime, if any, that you need.

I have a friend in Louisiana that built a small raft, bought a 1 inch gas powered water pump and hosed it off the raft. Not sure how he maneuvered the raft, maybe with a trolling motor or something.

The link to the liming info on the GA site is bad.

Do a search on Hydrated Lime, that is another option but it has some drawbacks

this is the hard way:put a piece of plywood on top of your boat and load with a shovel then wash off the sides with water pump.you can rent the pumps from any local hardware store.it's hard work but it can be done.you can also shovel out of truck into pond at different locations around lake,the lime will work it's way threw out most of the pond over time.i have done both several times over the years and have had good luck.thanks.

The easiest way to lime I know of...

Call an ag center that does pasture liming, order what you need, then back up the lime truck to the pond and let it rip.

The spreaders put out a big swath of coverage. They get some on the banks but if you do this where your run-off water runs through it, presto more lime in your pond.

This is so easy, and so effective I just marvel at all those contraptions and the hard work involved in putting this stuff out from a boat. Hey, have them drive the truck around the perimeter with the spreader open. It takes no time to put 7 tons and its done for several years.

p.s. for Theo....this technique comes to you from the piney woods of East Texas

For whom do the woods pine?
Theo?

The best thing to do is get a soil sample to determine how much lime you need. I put some lime in a pond where the only open area is the dam by using a boat and got two people who really wanted to fish help put in lime. I had one man on one side of the boat cut the bag open just enough for a small stream of lime to come out and the other man do the same on the other side of the boat and I drove around about 5000 times until the whole pond was covered.

'Lark, the Lime truck from the local feed mill is overdue at my place. We're having them lime all our fields and the acreage next door we make hay on. And I figured that this would put lime on 2/3 of my pond's watershed. BUT I'll give you full and total credit for using it for direct application; if I ever use the idea, I'll send you a royalty check!

P.S. Ask not for whom the woods pine, they pine for thee (not Theo, unless thee is me).