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Starting Over

It is not uncommon for ponds to require draining and restocking. In fact, it is natural for ponds to fill with sediment, become dominated by vegetation, and eventually fill in completely. While this may take hundreds of years, in some cases it may only take decades with highly erodible soils, poor pond design and/or poor construction. Sometimes it's invasive fish species, not engineering, that have crippled the pond. There are several species of fish that can ruin a pond fishery if they are introduced, either from deliberate stocking or invasion from nearby waterways. If one or more of the following describe your current situation, it may be time to consider starting over.

When to consider starting over:
- The dam is obviously leaking or in need of repair
- Pond averages less than 3 to 5 feet deep
- Shoreline slope is less than 1:4 
- Green sunfish, common carp, bullhead and/or gizzard shad represent a majority of the fish population
- The fishery has not improved after controlling weeds, corrective harvest and corrective stocking

Put simply, starting over means draining the pond, killing or relocating every fish in it, then restocking when the pond refills. Draining is necessary because the piscicides are more effective and financially practical in smaller volumes of water. The piscicides are necessary because some species of fish, bullhead catfish for example, can survive in as little as moist mud for days to weeks, and most ponds cannot be 100% drained.
 

How to do it: If your pond has a functional built-in drain system, simply open the drain until the pond is completely empty and treat the remaining pools with rotenone. If your pond does not have a functional drain system, you can rent gas powered trash pumps from local equipment rental suppliers. Be sure to estimate the volume of your pond so that you can calculate how long it will take the available pumps to drain the pond, and therefore how many days you will need to rent the equipment. You can also build your own siphon drain out of cheap PVC parts if there is enough elevation drop behind your dam/levee so that the drain outlet is lower than your drain inlet.  Rotenone is a restricted-use pesticide. You must possess a Pesticide Applicators license issued by the Arkansas State Plant Board before you can purchase or apply rotenone. Refer to the additional resources provided below for instructions on the safe use of rotenone. Additional resources: - SRAC 4101 Removing Fish from Ponds with Rotenone - The Planning, and Standard Operating Procedures for the Use of Rotenone in Fish Management - Rotenone SOP Manual What to read next: - Stocking Rates