• NC State Pond Management Guide – Chapter 4
• Southern Region Aquaculture Center (SRAC) 370 – Pond Aeration
• SRAC 371 – Pond Aeration: Types and Uses of Pond Aeration Equipment
• Dissolved Oxygen for Fish Production
• The Role of Aeration in Pond Management
• Understanding Pond Stratification – The Ohio State Univ. Extension
• Pond Aeration – Western Canada Turfgrass Assoc. – Turf News

• NC State Pond Management Guide – Chapter 4
• Using Grass Carp for Aquatic Weed Management in North Carolina
• NC State Aquatic Weed Management
• Weed Management in Small Ponds (PDF)
• Hydrilla Information (PDF)
• Aquatic Weed Fact Sheets
• Salvinia Molestia In North Carolina (PDF)
• Aquatic Weed Control – North Carolina Agriculture Chemicals Manual (PDF)
• Southern Region Aquaculture Center (SRAC) 360 – Aquatic Weed Management: Control Methods (PDF)
• SRAC 361 – Aquatic Weed Management: Herbicides (PDF)
• Control Methods For Aquatic Plants in Ponds and Lakes – Virginia Cooperative Extension

• NC State Pond Management Guide – Chapter 4
• NC State Wildlife Damage Notes
• Prevention and Control of Wildlife Damage Series – Beavers
• NC State Extension Forestry – Working with Wildlife Series – Managing Beaver Ponds
• Managing Wildlife Damage: Beavers – Virginia Tech Extension
• Beaver Management in North Carolina. NC Wildlife Resources Commission

• Bryozoan Guide – NC State Extension
• Alien Life Forms? No, Just Bryozoans – Univ. of Massachusetts
• Smithsonian Marine Station at Fort Pierce
• Nonindigenous Byrozoan Distribution Info – USGS
• Bryozoan Info

Although both black and white crappies do well in large lakes, they usually do not do well in small ponds. Once crappies become established, they prey on small bass, compete for food with adult bass and bluegill, and tend to overpopulate. This produces a pond full of small, slow-growing crappies. Additional information is available through the links below.

• NC State University Pond Management Extension – Information on Crappie
• The Crappie – Arkansas Game and Fish Commission

• The Control of Burrowing Crayfish in Ponds – Virginia Tech Extension
• The Crayfishes of North Carolina
• NC Crayfishes; Life at the Bottom – NC Wildlife Resources Commission

• NC State Pond Management Guide – Chapter 1
• NC State Pond Construction and Permit Information

• NC State Pond Management Guide – Chapter 2
• Largemouth Bass Standard Weights Chart
• Relative Weight: An Easy to Measure Index of Fish Condition – Alabama Ext.
• Determining Fish Pond Balance – MSU Ext.
• Stocking and Harvesting Recreational Fish Ponds – Clemson

• NC State Pond Management Guide – Chapter 1
• Pond Construction and Permit Information
• American Fisheries Society Consumer Guidelines for Pond Owners
• Southern Region Aquaculture Center (SRAC)100-Site Selection of Levee-Type Fish Production Ponds
• SRAC 101 – Construction of Levee-Type Ponds for Fish Production
• SRAC 102 – Watershed Fish Production Ponds: Site Selection and Construction
• SRAC 103 – Calculating Area and Volume of Ponds and Tanks
• SRAC 104 – Repairing Fish Pond Levees
• SRAC 105 – Renovating Leaky Ponds
• Pond Design & Construction – Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission
• Pond Construction: Some Practical Considerations – Virginia Cooperative Extension
• Building Freshwater Fish Attractors — L 251 — University of Georgia Extension

• Aquaguides: Fathead Minnows In New Ponds and Lakes
• Why Use Minnows in Catfish Ponds? – Univ. of Georgia Aquaculture Newsletter
• Fathead Minnows – Texas Park and Wildlife
• Using Fathead Minnows to Provide Initial Forage – Univ. of Georgia Extension

• Southern Region Aquaculture Center (SRAC) 479A – Fee-Fishing: An Introduction
• SRAC 480 – Fee-Fishing Ponds: Management of Food Fish and Water Quality
• SRAC 481 – Development and Management of Fishing Leases
• SRAC 482 – Fee-Fishing: Location, Site Development and Other Considerations
• Fee Fishing in Florida – University of Florida
• Promoting Fee-Fishing Operations as Tourist Attractions
• Trout Fee-Fishing – NC State Extension
• Developing a Fee-Fishing Enterprise: An Opportunity in Recreational Tourism – Univ. of Maryland Cooperative Extension
• Fee Fishing – An Additional Source of Income – Univ of Arkansas

• NC State Pond Management Guide – Chapter 3
• Southern Region Aquaculture Center (SRAC) 410 – Calculating Treatments for Ponds and Tanks
• SRAC 471 – Fertilization of Fish Ponds

The link below provides drawings and descriptions of common pond species. Species are divided into Recommended species and Other species that may be detrimental to pond fisheries.

Pond Fish Identification Guide

• NC State Pond Management Guide – Chapter 4
• Water Chemistry Testing Services in North Carolina
• Fish Kills – North Carolina Department of Environment & Natural Resources, Division of Water Quality
• Fish Kills: Their Causes and Prevention – Virginia Cooperative Extension
• Oxygen Depletion in Ponds – University of Georgia

• NC State Pond Management Guide – Chapter 4
• Introduction to Freshwater Fish Parasites – University of Florida Extension
• Monogenean Trematodes – University of Florida Extension
• Angler’s Guide to Fish Diseases and Parasites – University of Georgia

• NC State Pond Management Guide – Chapter 3
• Landowner’s Guide to Managing Streams in the Eastern United States – Virginia Cooperative Extension
• Managing Beaver Ponds – NC State Extension Forestry Working with Wildlife Series

• NC State Pond Management Guide – Chapter 2

• Southern Region Aquaculture Center (SRAC) 300 – Hybrid Striped Bass: Biology and Life History
• NC State Aquaculture Extension – Hybrid Striped Bass Information
• NC State Pond Management Extension Information on Hybrid Striped Bass

Currently there are no chemicals registered in North Carolina for eradication of leeches. Below is a publication link published in Texas that is equally relevant to NC. The control methods mentioned in the attached sheet require draining the pond. Some people have found that establishing a salt concentration of 3 parts per thousand will eliminate leeches. Salt solutions of 3 ppt are used by fish farmers in hauling water to reduce stress in fish. Such a treatment would require 2.5 lbs of rock salt for every 100 gallons of water.

• Leeches in Texas Waters

There are over one hundred thirty different species of leeches. Some leeches are terrestrial, but most are aquatic and can be found in fresh water, usually in the shore or bottom mud of ponds, lakes, and rivers. Leeches are not usually a problem in ponds, as they are a natural part of the pond community.

Occasionally, however, leeches can become a nuisance if their abundance becomes too high. Excessive parasitism on fish species is one effect, although it is rare for leech infestations to become severe enough to result in fish kills or poor condition. More commonly, leeches are a pest to people swimming or wading in the pond.

Apparently only one product, Copper Sulfate Pentahydrate (EPA Registration Number 35896-19, Agtrol Chemical Products) is registered for leech control in farm ponds in some states, but not in North Carolina. However, you should always check your state laws to make sure it is legal to posses and dispense. A concentration of 5 parts per million (ppm) is recommended. For more information on leeches and their control.

• NC State Pond Management Guide – Chapter 3
• Southern Region Aquaculture Center (SRAC) 464 – Interactions of pH, Carbon Dioxide, Alkalinity and Hardness in Fish Ponds
• The Use of Lime in Fish Ponds – University of Florida Extension
• Liming Acidified Lakes and Ponds – Virginia Cooperative Extension

The mosquitofish is a small guppy-like fish often stocked into ponds to control mosquito larvae. A single female (which normally is larger than a male) can devour several hundred mosquito larvae per day. However, most mosquito problems come from sources other than a pond full of fish (such as tree holes and other water traps).

Mosquitofish inhabit the shallow edges of ponds because of the abundance of food and to escape predation by larger fish such as bass and bluegill. Mosquitofish may be eliminated in ponds with steep edges that have insufficient cover for them to hide in.

Although mosquitofish are not among the species recommended for ponds, they do not have any apparent negative effects. If you wish to stock mosquitofish, contact a fish supplier. A list of fingerling suppliers can be found by following the link to the left.

• NC State Pond Management Guide – Chapter 4
• Southern Region Aquaculture Center (SRAC) 460 – Control of Clay Turbidity in Ponds
• Clearing Muddy Pond Waters – Virginia Cooperative Extension

• NC State Pond Management Guide – Chapter 4
• Prevention and Control of Wildlife Damage Series – Muskrats
• Muskrat Profile – University of Maryland

To avoid problems with poor fishing, it is best to properly manage your pond using stocking and harvesting, while avoiding introduction of species that tend to be problematic. However, occasionally it may be necessary to remove all species and start from scratch. This can be accomplished by pond draining, refilling, and restocking, or through use of Rotenone (a fish toxicant) followed by restocking. Rotenone must be applied by a licensed pesticide applicator. The following links provide information on how to reclaim a pond using Rotenone.

• Prestocking Procedures – Pond Management Guide – Chapter 2
• Using Rotenone to Renovate Pond Fish Populations
• American Fisheries Society Rotenone Information Site

• NC State Pond Management Guide – Chapter 4

In general, the only species that are recommended for ponds are largemouth bass, bluegill, redear sunfish, and channel catfish. Other species, once becoming established in a pond, can harm good fishing and cause the pond to fall short of its fishing potential. Specific information on major problem species is available through the links below.

Black Crappie. Although both black and white crappies do well in large lakes, they usually do not do well in small ponds. Once crappies become established, they prey on small bass, compete for food with adult bass and bluegill, and tend to overpopulate. This produces a pond full of small, slow-growing crappies. Additional information is available through the links below.

Common carp and other suckers. Introduction of these fish species into fish ponds is a serious mistake. They compete directly for food with small bass and bluegill, destroy bass and bluegill habitat, and can only be removed by totally draining or chemically treating the pond. Because of their bottom feeding habits, common carp make the water extremely muddy. Common carp reproduce quite successfully in ponds.

Bullheads. Bullheads, often called “mudcats,”are not desirable in ponds because they often overpopulate and stir up the bottom sediment, making the water muddy. Overabundant bullhead populations produce few bullheads of desirable size. In addition, their presence often limits the success of channel catfish.

Other miscellaneous sunfish. Common North Carolina sunfish include bluegill, redear, longear, warmouth, pumpkinseed, green and redbreast sunfish. Only bluegill and redear sunfish are suited for North Carolina ponds. When stocked into fish ponds, the other sunfish usually produce an undesirable fish population. Green sunfish and warmouth are aggressive feeders and compete with bass and bluegill for food. If they get big enough, they even eat small bass. The pumpkinseed, longear and redbreast sunfish usually do not grow big enough to interest fishermen and they overpopulate easily.

Other Problem Species

• The Control of Burrowing Crayfish in Ponds – Virginia Cooperative Extension
• Non-fish problem species – Ohio Pond Management Bulletin

• NC State Pond Management Guide – Chapter 4
• Prevention and Control of Wildlife Damage Series – Nonpoisonous Snakes
• Prevention and Control of Wildlife Damage Series – Rattlesnakes
• North Carolina Amphibian and Reptile Biology & Conservation
• Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation (PARC)
• Snake Profiles – University of Maryland
• Milwaukee Public Museum – Timber Rattler Facts
• Reptile Information Network
• Snake Bites Fact Sheet
• Reading List on Reptiles and Amphibians
• Reptile and Amphibian Characteristics
• Reptile and Amphibian Myths
• Snakes Alive! How to Identify Snakes
• Garter Snakes – Minnesota
• Snakes – University of Florida Extension

The use of soil testing is primarily done to determine pH and liming requirements in ponds.

• NC State Pond Management Guide – Chapter 3
• North Carolina Department of Agriculture Soil Testing Services
• The Use of Lime in Fish Ponds – University of Florida

• NC State Pond Management Guide – Chapter 3
• Understanding Fish Nutrition, Feeds, and Feeding – Virginia Cooperative Extension

• NC State Pond Management Guide – Chapter 2
• American Fisheries Society Consumer Guidelines for Pond Owners
• North Carolina Department of Agriculture Fingerlings Supplier List
• Fish Fingerlings: Purchasing, Transporting and Stocking – University of Florida
• Stocking Sportfish in Virginia Ponds: Methods and Commercial Supply Sources – Virginia Cooperative Extension

• NC State Pond Management Guide – Chapter 2
• NC State Pond Management Extension – Information on Largemouth Bass
• Southern Region Aquaculture Association (SRAC) 200 – Largemouth Bass: Biology and Life History
• SRAC 722 – Species Profile: Largemouth Bass

• NC State Pond Management Guide – Chapter 2
• NC State Pond Management Extension – Information on Bluegill

• NC State Pond Management Guide – Chapter 2
• Should I Stock My Pond with Trout? – NC Cooperative Extension Service
• Trout Production in North Carolina – NC State Cooperative Extension

• NC State Pond Management Guide – Chapter 4
• Prevention and Control of Wildlife Damage Series – Turtles
• Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation (PARC)
• Turtle Profiles – University of Maryland
• Terrapin Institute
• New York Turtle and Tortoise Society
• Savannah River Ecology Fact Sheet – Milestones in Turtle Ecology

• NC State Pond Management Guide – Chapter 3
• Water Chemistry Testing Services in North Carolina
• Southern Region Aquaculture Center (SRAC) 460 – Control of Clay Turbidity in Ponds
• SRAC 462 – Nitrite in Fish Ponds
• SRAC 463 – Ammonia in Fish Ponds
• SRAC 464 – Interactions of pH, Carbon Dioxide, Alkalinity and Hardness in Fish Ponds
• SRAC 468 – Carbon Dioxide in Fish Ponds
• Ammonia – University of Florida

• NC State Pond Management Guide – Chapter 4
• Winter Drawdown: A Useful Management Tool for Mississippi Farm Ponds – Mississippi State Extension