Mudminnows and Golden Shiners are available most of the year. They make excellent natural forage for ponds containing trout, Walleye, Bass or Crappie. Both species are extremely prolific and are sold by the 1000.

Enquiries from baitshops are welcome.

POND STOCKING FAQ'S

fish.gif (1703 bytes) QUESTIONS ABOUT TROUT STOCKING

Q. Will my pond or lake hold trout?
A. Ponds that are spring fed or at least 20 feet deep are the most suitable for trout. Surface temperatures should remain below 75 degrees F throughout the summer. Shallow ponds will be fine if there is enough spring water moving through the pond to keep it cool. Often it is less expensive to run well water through a pond rather then have it excavated to 20 feet. Also the exchange of water is beneficial to the trout, approximately 50 gal/min per acre for ponds less than 10 feet deep and 25 gal/min per acre for ponds in the 10 to 20 foot depth.
Q. How many trout can I put in?
A. Stocking densities vary greatly. The worst case scenario would be a pond with no exchange of spring water. Its rate would be 300 lbs of fish per acre. Remember that 8"-10" fish weigh 4 per pound and 10"-12" weigh 2 per pound. Now if the pond has an inflow of spring water the rate at which it can be stocked will increase dramatically, if 300 lbs per acre is going to be exceeded supplemental feeding with trout chow will be necessary. Example: A 1 acre pond with 50 gal/min entering it would hold 2000 lbs of trout, (supplemental feeding would be necessary). If a surface aerator is added to this pond it would hold 10,000 lbs of trout.
Q. How much should I feed them for optimum growth?
A. The simplest way to gauge feeding is to cut them off when the feed response (excitement level) drops by about 50%. Technically they should be fed about 1% of their body weight at or around 50 degrees F water temperature and 2% at or around 60 degrees F.
Q. When is it time to stock?
A. Anytime the surface water temperatures are below 70 degrees F and the closer to 50 degrees F the better. Consequently most stocking is done from October to June.
Q. How do I transfer them to my pond?
A. Large orders, more than 400 6"-8" trout or more than 200 8"-10" trout will be delivered in our tank truck. Small orders can be picked up at the farm. Trout will be placed in plastic bags with oxygen and are good for several hours of travel.
Q. Do I need a permit from the M.N.R.?
A. If trout are going to be put in a private pond or lake, where the fish cannot escape, nor is it in a floodplain, no permits are necessary.

If an individual is stocking public waters or private waters that are connected to the public watershed (for fish movement), then a permit should be acquired from their local M.N.R. office. Cost is $50.00 and is good for 3 years. If private ponds have a screened outflow and inflow they should be in compliance and a permit would not be necessary. The M.N.R. would not likely approve any stocking that would compete with a wild strain that might already exist in a public waterbody. Example: They would not allow rainbow or speckled trout to be put in a lake that had a population of lake trout. Pure Springs Trout Farm can often assist in acquiring a permit in the rare case that one is needed.

Q. How fast will they grow and how long do they live?
A. Growth depends on food supply. If trout are being fed artificially they will grow 2 to 3 times as fast as they do on a natural food source.
Example: 1 year old rainbow trout would weigh 10-14 oz 2 year old " " " " 2 - 4 lbs 3 year old " " " " 4 - 6 lbs 4 year old " " " " 6 - 8 lbs
5 year old " " " " 8 -10 lbs 6 year old " " " " 10-12 lbs 7 year old " " " " 12-14 lbs 8 year old " " " " 14+ lbs

Speckled trout grow at a slightly slower rate than rainbows and only live for about 5 years.

Q. Should I stock rainbow or speckles?
A. Rainbows are the most popular as they are the hardiest, live the longest and least expensive. However we do stock thousands of speckled trout every year. Speckles are very colorful - the males turn a brilliant crimson every fall.
Q. Will they reproduce naturally?
A. It is not common for domestic hatchery trout to reproduce significantly, but not unheard of. Certain waterbodies seem to be more conducive to natural reproduction.

fish.gif (1703 bytes) QUESTIONS ABOUT WALLEYE STOCKING

Q. Will my pond or lake hold walleye?
A. Walleye don't need the cold water that trout do so almost any waterbody will hold walleye as long as it is not subject to winterkill. Winterkill usually happens only in extremely shallow weedy lakes. As weeds under the ice die off they consume oxygen and a layer of snow on the ice prevents sunlight from entering and creating new oxygen. If your lake is very shallow and devoid of all fish life, (except for mud minnows), it may be subject to winterkill. Mud minnows can hang on even when the oxygen gets down to 3 ppm.
Q. How many walleye can I put in?
A. Stocking densities vary greatly. Unlike trout, walleye won't eat artificial foods. There must be a good supply of natural food (plankton, insect larvae, crayfish or minnows), or they will turn cannibalistic. Adding mud minnows will produce an excellent food source as they reproduce 4 or 5 times a year. 300 walleye per surface acre is a good rule of thumb, but as high as 1000/acre can be successful if there is an unusually abundant food source.
Q. When is the best time to stock?
A. Walleye are stocked about the last week in June or the first week of July at 2" - 3". They are not available year round and should be ordered early in the year. A small number of minnow raised walleye in the 4"-8" range will be available in September/October but the only guarantee of getting walleye is to order the 2"-3" that are available at the end of June.
Q. How do I transfer them to my pond?
A. Large orders over 800 can be delivered in our tank truck. Smaller orders will be placed in plastic bags with oxygen and can be picked up. They are good for several hours of travel.
Q. Do I need a permit from the M.N.R.?
A. If the walleye are going to be put in a private pond or lake, where the fish cannot escape, nor is it in a floodplain, no permits are necessary. If an individual is stocking public waters or private waters that are connected to the public watershed (for fish movement), then a permit should be acquired from their local M.N.R. office. Cost is $50.00 and is good for 3 years. If private ponds have a screened outflow and inflow, they should be in compliance and a permit would not be necessary. The M.N.R. would not likely approve any stocking that would compete with a wild strain that might already exist in a public waterbody. Pure Springs Trout Farm can often assist in acquiring a permit in the rare case that one is needed.
Q. How fast will they grow and how long do they live?
A. Growth depends on food supply but typically 6" the first fall and 12"-14" by the second fall. Walleye live for about 15 years and can approach 20 lbs.
Q. Will they reproduce?
A. Walleye can establish themselves very well and often reproduce providing a sustainable fishery. 

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