Page 35 - 2018 MAY/JUNE Outdoor Oklahoma

About 250,000 farm ponds totaling more than 500,000 ters on Planning a Pond, Pond Construction, Stocking a
surface acres can be found dotting Oklahoma’s land- Pond, Pond Management and Pond Renovation.
scape. And these can be excellent angling resources, if In 1995, the booklet was updated and expanded. Retitled
managed properly. “Managing Pond Fisheries in Oklahoma,” the booklet
The Fisheries Division of the Oklahoma Department of now included information on Balanced Fish Populations,
Wildlife Conservation offers free technical assistance to Ornamental Fish, Other Animals, Pond Fertilization and Fish
landowners who have questions about managing ponds Parasites, along with other topics.
on their property. Many times, problems with fish diseas- In 2017, the Department made this resource available
es, growth, harvest, aquatic vegetation control and clear- on its website at www.wildlifedepartment.com.
ing muddy water can be diagnosed over the telephone. As the summer fishing season gears up, we thought
In some cases, fisheries biologists may need to deter- many landowners would appreciate seeing excerpts from
mine the status of the fish population to recommend pos- this booklet.
sible management strategies. Pond owners can assist by
providing information on previous management activi- Introduction
ties including the stocking history and by keeping harvest This booklet was written primarily as a guide for man-
records. Sampling the fish population by hook and line, aging Oklahoma ponds for fishing. Oklahoma’s ponds
recording the number and size of fish caught over sever- are diverse in size, depth, turbidity (water clarity) and
al weeks, can provide biologists with data that can help vegetation. They are used for livestock watering, irriga-
them determine what action should be taken to achieve tion, swimming, attracting waterfowl and fishing. Many
the landowner’s desired goal for the pond. anglers know that ponds can provide the fastest fishing
In 1981, the Wildlife Department published a booklet action of all water bodies.
titled “Pond Management in Oklahoma: A Fish Pond Because of their smaller size, ponds are more respon-
Management Handbook.” This resource included chap- sive to management activities than large lakes and rivers.

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Landowners who want to create a great fishing pond often choose the balanced bluegill-largemouth bass plan to realize their desire.

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