Managing Mississippi's Farm Ponds

Because of poor planning, bad construction or a lack of management, many farm ponds in Mississippi do not produce the amount of fish desired by the owner, or more importantly the owner's grandkids. A good pond depends on location, design, construction, the proper stocking rate, and management, such as proper harvest, fertilization and weed control. Many times, farm ponds can produce 5 to 10 times more pounds of fish than they currently produce if proper techniques are followed.

Ponds should be at least one-half acre in size and constructed so that at least 20% of the area is 6 feet or greater in depth. All ponds should have a drain, overflow pipe, and emergency spillway for best management. A drain will allow one to manage the water level of the pond, which is often necessary for weed control and managing fish populations. If one has a problem with seepage, a layer of clay should be added to the bottom of the pond. Regarding pond dams, one of the main problems in Mississippi is that many pond owners do not control woody vegetation on the dam. When large trees die, or are cut, they can leave a hole in the dam, causing major structural problems which are expensive to fix. No woody vegetation should be allowed to grow on pond dams.

Once your pond has been constructed properly, adding fish structure can greatly increase harvest. Structure can be in the form of trees, such as blackjack oak or old Christmas trees, dropoffs, or logs.

Structure can be made of various designs. For example, one proven design consists of three or four full trees that are crossed to form a pyramid. The bases of the trees should be braced together using four to six feet long pieces of lumber. Holes should be driven through the base of the trees and the weights should be attached using #12 UF cable. The structures will stand upright on the bottom and have a height between 10 and 16 feet.

Structure can either be set out as single structures or in groups of 3 to 5 trees in either a triangular setup or set in a line down the slope of drops-offs. Structure should be weighted with concrete blocks (2 to 2.5 feet in length) weighing approximately 60 pounds each. They should be placed in 5 to 10 feet of water near points, creek channels or artificial drop offs. Another design may be the use of stake beds. For ponds less than one acre, one fish structure is plenty. Otherwise, use one fish structure per 2 or 3 acres.

Spawning beds for bream are also useful for catching fish. Spawning beds are made by covering portions of the pond with gravel to create areas desired by bream. Spawning beds should be located in 2 to 4 feet of water near locations that are convenient for fishing. Use 3 to 5 cubic yards of washed gravel (1/2 to 1 inch in diameter) and place so that a spawning site approximately 12 to 15 feet in diameter is created. One should avoid sites that have a sedimentation problem.

Assuming the pond has been constructed and adequate fish structure has been placed, fertilization and management is the next concern. Almost all ponds, except those in extremely productive parts of Mississippi need to be limed and fertilized. Most ponds require 2 to 3 tons per acre of lime. This treatment will usually last from 2 to 5 years, depending on the acidity of the soil.

Fertilizer, which stimulates growth of microscopic plants and animals, will cause the water to turn green or "bloom," in addition to discouraging growth of some problem aquatic weeds. Phosphorus is essential to increasing fish production; triple superphosphate (0-46-0), when applied at the correct rate, is the most economical. A simple soil test will determine the amount of fertilizer needed and if liming is needed.

To stock new ponds, include 500 bluegill per acre, 50 bass per acre, and 50 channel catfish per acre. On new ponds, fishing should begin 2 years after the initial stocking. Good fishing can be enjoyed for years to come if the fish population of the pond is managed properly. This means harvesting the correct number and species of fish each year. But, even at this time, as well as the next, or second year of fishing, most bass should be released back into the pond. Most of the bream (bluegill and redear) that are caught should be kept. A good rule of thumb is to keep a minimum of 10 pounds of bream for every pound of bass. Most ponds in Mississippi are underfished for bream and can withstand much more harvest - a great project for those grandkids!

Also, most ponds are overfished for bass. This is the most common problem in farm pond management. When this occurs, bass cannot control bream and the bream become overpopulated. As a result, the bream will be stunted. This can reduce or even stop bass reproduction.

Most of the time, the status of the pond's balance can be determined by fishing success. For example, when one catches a few large bass and many small bream, the bream are overpopulated. When one catches small bass and large bream, there is probably an overpopulation of bass. In many instances increased fishing pressure on the overcrowded species will bring the pond back into balance. Ponds that have too many bream can be corrected by adding additional bass. Adding fifty, 8 to 10 inch bass or twenty, 12 to 14 inch bass per acre can be effective.

Many people often want to put crappie in farm ponds. Crappie should not be placed in ponds that are less that 500 acres in size. It will just a matter of time before they become overpopulated and stunted.

Many people are concerned that the harvest of the surplus of fish due to the increase in structure will affect reproductive potential of the pond. It will not and should result in increased growth and condition of fish and a positive response to the increased carrying capacity.

Now that you have all ingredients in the formula for fishing success - good location, design, construction, the proper stocking rate, and management - it is time to carry those grandkids fishing and introduce the to something they will remember forever. And besides, a farm pond bank is a much better place to be than on the streets.