- 1). Select a pond suitable for producing large bass. Your pond should have a drainage system, an irregular shoreline, and a variety of depths.
- 2). Prepare the pond for stocking: Sink rocks and wood cover (tree roots and logs work well) in various places of the pond to provide bass habitat. Adding a gravel area can also be beneficial. Also try to limit weed growth to avoid stagnation and mineral depletion. Some plants are good, but they can take over a pond if not managed diligently. Plant grass around the edges of the pond to minimize erosion.
- 3). Stock your pond with largemouth bass, bluegill and (optionally) channel catfish. Stock with 500 to 700 bluegill per acre and 100 channel catfish per acre in October, then stock 100 largemouth bass per acre the following July. Stocked fish should be fingerlings, not adults; these are usually available through your state. Do not catch fish from a nearby lake or river to stock your pond.
- 4). Avoid stocking any additional species. Crappie and green sunfish will overpopulate with stunted growth, smallmouth bass fare poorly in a pond environment, and pike compete directly with largemouth bass. The idea is to create a functioning predator/prey relationship between bass and bluegill. Without interference from other unwanted fish, bass and bluegill populations will keep each other in check, and the individual size of both species will increase.
- 5). Do not remove any fish from the pond for at least 3 years. You can fish, but practice catch-and-release only. Once bass have grown, mantain a 15-inch-minimum creel limit and keep as few bass as possible. This will encourage growth.
- 6). If your farm pond is used for watering livestock, fence in a small area where the cattle can drink so they do not disturb the rest of the shoreline. The shore being repeatedly trampled by cattle or other animals is detrimental to the reproduction of pond fish.
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