Where to buy fish for pond stocking?

bowman316

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Last summer i rented a backhoe, and dug a big pond in a swampy part of my corn field. This pond is about 50 ft across, and 12 ft deep.
I was looking to stock it with some fish, but it seems that no stores around here just sell trout. So how to i get trout to stock my pond?
the only thing i can think of is catch wild trout, and transport em. but there has to be an easier way?
 

dwco5051

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Try google for fish hatcheries in your area. Read the following link for information;

http://dnr2.maryland.gov/fisheries/Pages/pond-stocking.aspx

Give the people at DNR a call and I am sure they can point you in the right direction.

Also you could call this fellow and maybe he knows someone in your area and give you some pointers. He is only about five miles away from me here in Central PA and raises trout for resale.

ELK CREEK FISH HATCHERY

Dan Brigham
ADDRESS: 515 Millheim Narrows, Rebersburg, PA 16872
PHONE: 814 349 5814
EMAIL: elkcreekfish@pennswoods.net
 

Teamster

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Does the DNR require a permit for the creation of the pond??

Does the DNR require a permit for stocking the pond??

I would think you could find yourself in deep doo doo if they do,..

I know here in WI taking fish and transporting them to your own pond is frowned upon,...
 
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Trout have a few issues with temperature in many places in the world. In a deep dam they find their happy place, but in a shallow pond they will suffer if the water temperature gets anything near summer temperatures in a Mediterranean climate. A good way to get info for such things is google the name of your species of fish, and the word "aquaponics" . Aquaponics folk grow fish in their back yards for food so they tend to have a good understanding of temperature tolerances because their tanks are very exposed to the elements as they tend to be above ground and relatively small in volume so the seasons have a rapid effect on water temperatures.

Also googling [your location] + aquaponics + fish + fry is probably a good way to get some hits for local suppliers of fish suitable for your area.

If you are into obeying the law, the hits you get will also probably be compliant with your local rules as well, which could be a plus depending on your outlook :)

Also trout probably wont spawn naturally in a small pond, so catching a few to put in your lake might not work, but there are work arounds. search "hand stripping trout".

It's kind of gross, but you get over it.

Or so I'm told :)
 

gm280

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Odd reading this. A friend of mine some years ago had an above ground swimming pool that he got tired of cleaning and taking proper care of. And within a year he actually found fish in his pool. Scratching his head about how those little fish could have gotten there, he stated that he thinks birds ate some fish eggs and they went through their system and got deposited in his pool. He never removed them or clean that pool again that I know of. So most any large pond area will eventually have fish in it even without stocking. But since you want one specific specie, I'd go through the DNR route because I know my state has some weird regulation about such things as well. Not saying the DNR are doing things right or even totally understand everything about wildlife and fisheries, but there are the folks making the regulations anyway. And if your state DNR folks are anything like the ones around my state, you could be seeing huge fines and some jail time if you cross them.
 

bruceb58

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My friend in Northern California has a pond but it is way bigger than yours. He stocked his with bass and they breed like crazy in it. He caught some and put them in there. He has so many fish that he has a fish catching party for his company to get rid of a lot of them every year.
 

dwco5051

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Last edited:
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Odd reading this. A friend of mine some years ago had an above ground swimming pool that he got tired of cleaning and taking proper care of. And within a year he actually found fish in his pool. Scratching his head about how those little fish could have gotten there, he stated that he thinks birds ate some fish eggs and they went through their system and got deposited in his pool. He never removed them or clean that pool again that I know of. So most any large pond area will eventually have fish in it even without stocking. But since you want one specific specie, I'd go through the DNR route because I know my state has some weird regulation about such things as well. Not saying the DNR are doing things right or even totally understand everything about wildlife and fisheries, but there are the folks making the regulations anyway. And if your state DNR folks are anything like the ones around my state, you could be seeing huge fines and some jail time if you cross them.


We have a fresh water thing we call a yabby here. Its a thing with claws, a crunchy exosceloton, and tastyness inside. Shimp, crawfish, crayfish,....that kind of thing. If you make a hole in the ground and fill it with water, they will find their way to it. But it turns out they dont hitch a ride on birds or whatever, they just walk. They walk for miles and miles.

I'm not a fan of that guy in Jerrasic Park, but it's amazing the way nature really does find a way :)
 

Starcraft5834

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Trout will not survive in a pond as it gets to warm.. Research lake trout fishing,,"thermoclines" are discussed. Those are horizontal columns of water at various temps. Trout like it around 58 degrees.. Rivers and and streams hold trout sure, that water is moving and much cooler even in the summers. Ponds get easily near 80 at times. your pond would have to be very deep to support that temp range. stick with bass, sunfish, goldfish. enjoy!
 
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Scott Danforth

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FWC stocks most ponds in new neighborhoods down here with bass. they multiply like crazy eating the insects, lizzards, etc. I wouldnt eat them though. the ground water run-off from everyone fertilizing - has them looking like some sort of mutant ballooned bass within a year. If your intending to fish the pond for food, watch what runs off the field.
 

bowman316

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Im sure I did need a permit to dig a pond, in this facist state of md.
We have a small 2 ft deep plastic home depot pond near the house, and we have several goldfish in it. We keep them in year round, there will be 6 inches of ice on top in winter, and we stop feeding them; but they all live thru the winter.
 

gm280

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One real problem about fish in a pond is they proliferate so quickly because there isn't any larger predators to eat them. And then so many little fish live in those ponds that then never ever get very big because of too many little ones. Unless you feed them, there is only so much natural food available that you can end up with a pond full of little size fish, never even big enough to eat.
 
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