What would it take you to come to the conclusion there are no or few fish in a pond?

I have a 1 acre pond I've owned since December. The previous owner said it had no fish. Since December, I've watched it closely and have have tried worm fishing with a bobber 5-6 times.

No fish caught, seen surfacing, or seen in the shallows. What do you all think?

I put in 5lbs of FHMs / pallets but have done no other management. Thinking about next steps.

It sounds like you have no fish...sounds like. Bobber fishing (fishing in general) at my pond can be hit or, mostly miss and I know I have fish. I would try a trot-line and/or limb lines (with various hook sizes and baits) left out for a few days (non-rainy days) and checked and rebaited a few times a day. That would really help prove something. My water temps have just started getting above 60° F and feeding and catching have been weak. Try the trot/limb lines here in a few weeks to help ensure good catching conditions.

Have you done any trapping or netting?

It would also be a good indicator of very low or no fish populations IF your FHM's start exploding in the next couple months. You should have more FHM's than you can believe by the end of the summer without predators. Then stock next spring.

I would try minnow traps and seining before I concluded there were no fish. If I had the money to spend and really wanted to know, electrofishing.

But you're not risking much $ with your FHM strategy.

Damn, QA, you type fast.

You have to type fast when you have more to say than needed...lol

This time of year, a slow walk around the pond mid day with polarized glasses on will tell you a lot about what's in the pond.