Managing Your Private Lake

Texas Parks & Wildlife Department does not provide stocking or on-site consulting services for private lakes and ponds. However, resources are available to landowners who want to manage ponds for fishing. You'll find some useful links on this page, along with tips on where to get more information.

Construction, Stocking and Management

• There's Gold in Ponds - Texas Wildlife, January 2005
• Bossing Your Own Pond - Texas Wildlife, July 2005
• Pond Management Manual - Texas Chapter, American Fisheries Society
  Management guidelines for new and existing ponds, including stocking recommendations
• List of Commercial Hatcheries - from Texas Aquaculture Association
  Look for a link that says "TAA Availability List"
• Rotenone: Its Use in Fisheries Management (PDF 136.8 KB) - Texas Parks and Wildlife Department

Unwanted Vegetation

• Managing Nuisance Aquatic Plants - TPWD
• Triploid Grass Carp Permits - TPWD
• Pond Manager's Diagnostics Tool - AgriLife Extension Service

Additional Resources

• Search Southern Regional Aquaculture Center for fact sheets on a variety of topics.
• Texas AgriLife Extension offers booklets, fact sheets, videos and expert advice on aquaculture and pond management. Visit AgriLife's resource section or contact your county extension agent.