We consult with you on your stocking needs, provide you with the fish, and will always available to assist you for years to come! Freshwater Fish Company has staff ready to work with you to get the pond or lake stocking plan together to fit your goals.  Once we help you get a stocking plan together we will always be available by email (or phone call if needed) to help you should any issues arise! The following discussion on pond and lake stocking is for informational purposes and may not fit all situations.  We urge you to do your homework before stocking your pond or lake.  Freshwater Fish Company is available to perform consultations at your location.  Fish stocking is an important part of any lake management program. The choice of fish to stock depends on the lake owner’s goals and size of the body of water. Large lakes may be hard to manage, but it is also difficult to manage a pond of less than one-acre for species such as bass and bluegill. The most common strategy for pond and lake stocking is to combine largemouth bass and bluegill (and/or redeared sunfish).

The combination of bass and bluegill generally works well in lakes larger than one acre and provides excellent fishing for both species indefinitely because of their relationship.  The best part of the bass and bluegill lake system is its simplicity. In a well functioning pond, phytoplankton, zooplankton, and insect larvae will be abundant enough to supply food for bass fry and all sizes of bluegill. The bluegill will reproduce and grow rapidly with the abundant food and provide excellent forage for bass. As long as bass are not over-harvested they will keep bluegill from overpopulating. However, some large bluegill will survive bass predation and in turn provide excellent bluegill angling. Another option is to stock channel catfish in a bass and bluegill pond.  If a pond owner decides to stock catfish they need to be aware that catfish will consume a portion of the food supply and somewhat reduce the total pounds of bass and bluegill the pond can maintain. Recommended stocking rates vary by lake size, location, condition of the lake, and the desires of the owner. 

A typical lake larger than one acre could be stocked with 200 largemouth bass fingerlings/acre (or 60 adults),400 bluegill fingerlings/acre (or 120 adults),and 200 channel catfish/acre. You can also purchase more bluegill and adult bass to jump start your lake management program.   If only catfish are stocked in a lake the recommended stocking rates is about 500 catfish fingerlings/acre. If your goal is to grow big bass then we recommend not stocking your pond with catfish since they can grow to dominate your trophy fishing pond. Mosquitofish (1,000/acre) are a good addition to any private waterbody to minimize mosquito production and enhance prey availability. More information about mosquitofish can be found on our Mosquitofish Page. Freshwater Fish Company also produces a hybrid carp (goldfish x common carp) that is sterile (does not reproduce).  Carp fingerlings can be  added to the pond and stocked at a rate of 1,000/acre (or 500 adults) and are generally added for vegetation control. 

It  takes about a year for a fingerlings hybrid carp to grow to the size that is effective for such vegetation control.  Adult sizes can be stocked for immediate control. Stocking rates for ponds that are less than one acre depend on the size.  Toy Lab Puppies For SaleFor instance, a 1/2 acre pond can be stocked to half the rate of a one-acre pond.   Laptop Power Button OutsideTo make ponds of less than one acre productive, supplemental feeding and aeration are beneficial.Discount Wood Flooring Indianapolis All fish species discussed for stocking new or renovated ponds can be obtained from Freshwater Fish Company.  We can deliver directly to your pond or lake and can provide fish at almost any time of the year.

We want to work directly with you to make sure that your needs are met.  When your pond or lake is stocked we want to continue to work with you to make sure that it is functioning the way you intended.  More information about our fish can be found in the Fish We Raise section of this website. Note: Customers are responsible for obtaining any State permits required to stock fish in their pond or lake. Click here to view regulations from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife site. In general, stocking permits are NOT needed in 37 counties in California to stock the following species that we raise: channel catfish, largemouth bass, bluegill and redeared sunfish.  The counties where stocking permits are not required are Alameda, Butte, Colusa, Contra Costa, Glenn, Imperial, Kern (except in the Kern River drainage above Democrat Dam), Kings, Lake (except in the Eel River drainage), Merced, Los Angeles, Napa, Orange, Riverside, Sacramento, San Benito, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Joaquin, Santa Barbara, Solano, Stanislaus, Sutter, Tehama, Ventura, Yolo and Yuba. 

PLUS, the following counties west of Highway 49: Amador, El Dorado, Nevada, Tuolumne, Calaveras, Mariposa and Placer. PLUS Fresno, Madera and Tulare counties west of the national park and national forest boundaries. You can obtain an Application for Private Stocking by clicking here. We can help you fill out the application if you choose to go this route.  Email us and we can fill out our information on the application and send it back to you.  We can also set up a time to go over it with you on the phone.Fishing is one of those relaxing sports where most of it is about waiting for that magic moment. Los Angeles anglers of all types know how that magic moment feels and are all about the next catch realized in a number of outposts in and around Los Angeles. Consider the following five from which to navigate your pole in the right direction and consider that notion of catch and release, a practice best for all involved. About an hour and a half southeast of Los Angeles proper, Diamond Valley Lake near Hemet snags top billing for serious anglers looking for that next big catch.

Angeleno fisherman, Adam Jackson, goes to this fabulous fishing hole for hard-to-find black bass that draws others like him who are on the same quest from all over the world. Also in these waters are bluegill and red ear sunfish, rainbow trout and both blue and channel catfish. If you go, expect two-and-a-half miles of some of the best shoreline fishing on the West coast. 3850 Manhattan Beach Blvd. Situated in Lawndale, just east of the 405 freeway is Alondra Park Lake which sits within a 53-acre park. Within the lake, fishermen will be excited to hear that Rainbow trout are stocked at this rustic outpost from winter into early spring. When summer rolls around, catfish of all types, including blue, channel and flathead can be found in numbers. Also in these South Bay waters, expect to vie for other swimmers like largemouth bass and crappie. Within the middle of the lake sits an island too, where native plants grow and you’ll find a nice selection of butterflies and bird species.

4621 Santiago Canyon Rd. At the base of Cleveland National Forest in Orange County, Irvine Lake features 750 acres where there are many fishing tournaments. This fully stocked watering hole comes complete with a lot of catfish in the warmer months and a bounty of trout when the weather cools off a bit in the late spring and all of the winter. The atmosphere is tranquil and the mountains that seem to rise out of the water are perfect fare, as anglers troll this popular venue for swimmers that thrive here. A spot for kids learning to cast their rods in the right way is also on hand at Irvine Lake in Silverado. Related: Best Outdoor Gear Stores in Los Angeles 750 S. Santa Anita Ave. South El Monte, CA 91733 Panfish and crappie fanciers who have good pull may find this venue the best place to land one or more of these species out of the water. The same is true for largemouth bass and rainbow trout. The latter is stocked at Legg Lake so you can get a leg up on making this beautiful fish the pride of your bounty after a day casting.

The shore which offers grassy spots, as well as from fishing docks. As for the locals, lots of ducks and geese will be around to see how well you’re doing on your fishing trip to this popular recreational area in the Whittier Narrows. 751 Echo Park Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90026 Serious Los Angeles-based anglers who have a day job often head over to Echo Park Lake to do some trout fishing whenever there’s a window of freedom that lasts an hour or two. This urban park’s watering hole has been stocked with rainbow trout, catfish and bluefin. However, the best catch by local fishers is the big-mouthed trout, a big prize for a short time at the pole. Like in all city ponds, catch and release is not only good for the fish, it’s safer for the angler so try to practice this adage. Related: Best Fishing Spots in the Inland Empire Los Angeles freelance travel writer Jane Lasky, contributes to publications such as Travel + Leisure, Vogue and Esquire. Her weekly sojourning column ran in 40 newspapers for 20 years.