Stocking Ponds

The Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries operates three fish hatcheries, which are located at Marion, Eastaboga and Carbon Hill.  Bluegill, redear sunfish and largemouth bass are provided to stock ponds that contain no fish and are at least ¼ surface acre in size (1/2 acre if pond is not to be fertilized). An application for fish must be obtained from the local district fisheries office. The address of district offices and district boundaries may be obtained from www.OutdoorAlabama.com/fishing/freshwater/staff/ .

Applications may be submitted at any time, but the deadline for receiving applications for each stocking year is February 1^st. After receiving the application, fisheries biologists of the Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries will visit the pond to advise the owner of proper management practices to follow and determine if the pond meets requirements for stocking. Pre-stocking inspections are conducted from September through the first week of February.

Bream are delivered during the period of December through March and bass during May and June. No fish should be placed in the pond except those delivered from the hatchery unless recommended by a fishery biologist. The number of fish provided by the Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries depends on the size of the pond and if fertilization will be conducted; therefore, it is important that a reasonable estimate be made of the pond’s surface area. Ponds that are to be properly fertilized will be stocked with 1,000 bream (bluegill and redear sunfish) and 100 largemouth bass per surface acre. Ponds that are not to be fertilized will receive one-half these amounts. A nominal fee will be charged for pond stocking services. Do not haphazardly stock fish from a neighbor’s pond or nearby stream, as poor fishing will likely result. Money spent on proper stocking will be cheaper than trying to correct a pond with an unbalanced fish population.

The information above came from the Alabama Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division's booklet Sportfish Management in Alabama Ponds, which is available as a PDF.