Pond Boss Forums Thread Like Summary - Any new information on a ponds carry capacity?

I wonder how many is too many? I read in the archives about a ponds carrying capacity and saw where it was dated back 9 yrs ago. There has to be more information/experience with a sports pond today. From what I read, to figure your total pounds of fish in your pond was pretty much a scientific wild ass guess or what I call a SWAG. So, why do I ask? Because I have a pond with some nice and healthy fish (lmb, hsb, res, cnbg,) except for the 15" male lmb that are still trying to put weight back on after this past spawn. And I would like to keep these fish growing and not dying from being overstocked, underfeed or swimming in too much pee. This pond also has Tp, TFS and maybe a few GSH. Did I miss any recent articles on ponds carrying capacity in the PB Magazine? I have CRS you see, so maybe I just don't recall right now. It seems to me that Bob Lusk is always looking for things to discuss in his Facebook live. Maybe he could do a whole program on how many pounds of or how to swag on how many fish we have swimming around the pond? In my pond I think there are some good numbers of healthy predators, except for those male lmb and I would like to keep it that way.

Tracy, it's hard to tell. One way is to keep good catch records. Record the weight/length of the fish. As the pond ages you can track the growth rates of the fish. Once the growth rates start slowing down, then I'd say you have reached carrying capacity.

Carrying capacity all depends on how heavily managed the pond is. Feeding/aerating, etc. all have something to do with carrying capacity. I know of some Amish that grow LMB for the restaurant industry. At harvest size of 1 1/4# LMB, they will have a crop that is between 4,000# and 5,000# per surface acre. BUT they are checking water quality parameters on a daily basis, using test kits, O2 meters, etc., not just looking and guessing at what the water quality is.

Last year my pond went from approximately 1 1/8 surface acre to .49 surface acre. I removed over 100# of fish from it before the pond iced over as I was worried about water quality levels and O2 levels with ice on the pond. I kept more than 10% of the pond open last winter and didn't have any fish kills. The pond is at the same low level or even lower this year and I took out a bunch of fish again this fall. Due to the low water levels, all the spawning areas were above water this year, so I didn't have the reproduction that I would normally have. I believe with the SWAG method of how many fish are in the pond I am on the ragged edge, and if we don't get a BUNCH of rain this coming Spring I will be forking out the $$$ to put a well in just to keep the pond full.

The commonality - time !

In newly built and stocked ponds it takes 18 mths to 24 mths to reach carrying capacity. The first fish stocked reach max results in 4-7 years (as a whole not individually) absent extensive management. This includes structure management.

Same for new reservoirs - carrying capacity longer as fewer fish per acre are stocked and up to year 7 fast growth then absent strong management, depletion, out of balance populations, slow growth and declining productivity.

While there are exceptions and unusual locations - it is basic biology.

The management is what makes the difference - not only carrying capacity or structure, which as concepts do matter. It is the application of management to all fishery concepts designed for the individual fishery that counts. As Bob often says its part science and part art.