Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Evaluating and adjusting fish populations New House & New Pond

Job One is to do what you are doing...evaluate.
As you do that, think about your goals, and what you'd like to have. If you have goals, and a vision of what you expect, then cater your evaluation to figure out what you have, compared to what you need.

For example, if your goals are to have a fun fishing pond, with healthy populations of bass and bluegill, where you can catch 1-4 pound bass and bluegill up to ten inches, then you have a target.

As you evaluate, and find out you have a population of those fish, then you create a game plan for that fishery.

Start with habitat, learning all you can about the habitat for each species of fish. I love the river rock border, because of interstitial spaces for small fish to hide. I also like rock because it can help prevent noxious amounts of plants, and is an excellent surface for beneficial microbes and periphyton to grow.

But, if your goals are plentiful smallmouth bass and yellow perch, or something different, then your management strategy will be totally different.

'Evaluation' means sampling and studying what you have, to determine the status of the pond at that moment. Evaluation means learning about habitat, water quality/chemistry and the existing fishery. You can pay a pro to come evaluate, our you can study how to do it yourself and then get it done.