Managing Private Lakes & Ponds

Texas Parks & Wildlife Department does not provide stocking or on-site consulting services for private lakes and ponds. However, resources are available to landowners who want to manage ponds for fishing. You'll find some useful links on this page, along with tips on where to get more information.

Construction, Stocking and Management

• Texas Parks & Wildlife: "Bossing Your Own Pond," July 2005
• "Texas Farm Ponds: Stocking, Assessment, and Management Recommendations" (tcafs_pond_manual_2005.pdf) on Texas Chapter of the American Fisheries Society Manuals. Management guidelines for new and existing ponds, including stocking recommendations
• Texas Aquaculture Association: TAA Availability List for a list of commercial hatcheries.
• Texas Parks & Wildlife: "Rotenone: Its Use in Fisheries Management" (pwd_br_t3200_77.pdf) (PDF 136.8 KB)

Unwanted Vegetation

• Managing Nuisance Aquatic Plants - TPWD
• Triploid Grass Carp Permits - TPWD
• AquaPlant A Diagnostics Tool for Pond Plants and Algae - AgriLife Extension Service

Additional Resources

Texas AgriLife Extension - Aquaculture, Fisheries & Pond Management offers booklets, fact sheets, and expert advice on aquaculture and pond management.

• Pond & Sport Fish Management
• Pond How-To Series (videos)
• Texas A&M AgriLife Extension County Offices

Search Southern Regional Aquaculture Center: Publications for fact sheets on a variety of topics.