# POND depth for keeping fish



## Firefighter-Dadfishin (Jun 14, 2008)

I just bought a house last October it has 1 and 1/2 acre pond on the property and was told by the previous owner the pond was 19 feet deep and a couple of years ago there were some decent size bass in there well come to find out i put my boat in and found 3 to 5 feet on one side of island and the other side to be 6 to 8 feet. My question is is the water deep enough for the ice to not freeze the fish seems how its only 8 feet deep. There also seems to be no fish in it according to the fish finder.Thanks for any advice.

P.s. Also thought catching a few fish out and about and is it o.k. to put these fish in there?:dont-know::dont-know:


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## hang_loose (Apr 2, 2008)

Firefighter...6'to8' ft. should be safe for your fish in the winter. Just remember to clear snow off your ice so the algae can produce oxygen for your fish.(Photosynthithsis)......I know I probably spelled it wrong.

Also its legal to catch fish and put them in your pond but you're taking a risk with infecting your pond with outside parasites and diseases. Deal with a reputable fish dealer to cut way down on the odds of infection.....Good Luck!!!


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## bassmanmark (May 17, 2005)

It's legal and the DNR never really mentions anything about diseased fish...My .02 I have done it for years and it's nice to mix the gene pool in a small pond. Seems like the aggressive fish I have caught over the years on a frog have really made the rest of my fish jump on the band wagon. Also 6 to 8 ft is plenty deep enough for fish in the winter. I have never moved the snow off my pond and at most I have had 2 dead bass come spring. And I doubt that is from the winter time. I might add that my pond is full of weeds if that matters. I personally like the weeds there and I know the bass and gills do. My average bass is near the 2.5lb range. And I have a very nice class year represented from 2inch to 23inch. Or .1 lbs to just under 9lbs. Average gill is just over 7 inch with the largest at just under 12 inch. No redear just straight bluegill. Nothing else in pond but bass and gill...oh 1 grass carp. Lots of snails and turtles as well. Pond is just over an acre. In the winter I have a lot of random holes in the ice...so I never ice fish...looks like I do but have never.


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## mikeindy (Jun 28, 2011)

those depths should be more than enough to hold out for the winter... worst case stick in a bubbler to keep open water... then you will always have decent oxygen levels...


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## [email protected] (Dec 22, 2006)

More than 8' really has no advantage as far as fish go. Hopefully it didn't start off as 19' and filled in this much...any erosion issues? A fish finder isn't a very good fish surveying tool, especially in shallow water considering the cone of the sonar and the relative area it represents. Try seining, cast net, or minnow trap for sampling or although not as fun or cheap you can call in a pro for sampling. If you catch baby fish you know you have bigger fish. You could also try feeding a few handfuls of pellets daily just before sunset for a week or so to see if there's any interest. 

You'll want to have a good idea of what you have in the pond before adding more fish. Typically fish raised in your pond will grow larger than transferred fish, this is due to natural selection and adult fish from a nearby lake may not possess superior genes than fish you may already have...for your particular body of water that is. An exeption to this is if you are going to do a feeding program and want to grow the bass on pellets. Then, your best bet would be to buy feed trained bass from a fish farm. Another theory is that by catching fish somewhere else you are selecting the most agressive/easiest to catch fish from that population and I believe this has merit especially if your as bad a fisherman as me 

Personally, I think fish farm fish are dumber than public lake fish and easier to catch...at least for awhile. You also have a pretty good idea of how old they are. Fish never stop growing given adequate food but they do have a limited lifespan. That 2lb bass from the lake may be 2 years old or 10. A 2 year old has far more growth potential than the 10 year old. There are pedigree type bass available too that have been selected over multiple generations supposedly for ideal traits such as growth and aggressiveness. I try do this the best I can in my pond when culling small bass, releasing only those small bass in outstanding condition. Since your in Ashtabula Co., VHSv would be a concern in transferring fish.


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## Jigging Jim (Apr 3, 2010)

I think it's illegal to catch fish in a body of water and then dump them into a different body of water within the State of Ohio. Don't you have to purchase your Fish from the Licensed Ohio Fish Hatcheries?


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## [email protected] (Dec 22, 2006)

It's been argued and discussed a great deal here. In a nutshell it's illegal to transfer fish between state waters, more or less. If a pond owner catches fish from a public lake and transfers fish to their private pond it is not illegal even if not a good practice.


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## Firefighter-Dadfishin (Jun 14, 2008)

Thanks for the advice all found some small bluegill and the pond right now has minnows in it too.


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