# Detention Pond?



## dadofalltrades (Apr 6, 2010)

We just purchased a house that backs to an approx. 2 acre detention pond. Building around it is relatively minimal...no idea as to depth. There is considerable aquatic weed growth of varying types. But minimal duckweed/algae. I've only seen small bluegill, but I'm sure there are others in there. The pond seems OVERRUN with frogs though. They're everywhere. Couple questions...anyone have experience stocking detention ponds? I know there are some legalities to it...just looking for anyone with advice. Also, does the preponderance of frogs mean that there are very few if any larger fish in the pond? Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks.


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## [email protected] (Dec 22, 2006)

Detention ponds can be tough to manage simply by their design. They are meant to flow a lot of water though by means of catching large runoff flows then releasing them at a somewhat controlled rate. This is what makes chemical control of weeds difficult as the chemicals are constantly getting flushed out. Keeping fish in one can be tough depending on the design as fish can go out the outflow and oftentimes they get very shallow during dry months. A good and fairly cheap way to see what's in there is to seine an area (like a 100'x5' seine with mudline) or less effective would be to cast net. You probably won't catch a lot of big fish but if you catch little fish you know there's bigger ones. I can't say exactly how big of an indicator the frogs are as to fish populations but I would think that it has more to do with this particular pond being a favorable environment for them.


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