Ohio Pond Management Introduction Ohio farm ponds provide important recreational, domestic, & agricultural uses that range from fishing, swimming, and wildlife viewing to water sources for humans and livestock, irrigation, and erosion control. Ponds benefit both people and wildlife. People benefit from the recreational opportunities and agricultural uses, as well as the added aesthetics of having a pond on their property. Ponds benefit wildlife by providing feeding & nesting habitat, resting areas, and water sources. Ponds that are constructed, maintained, & managed with these uses in mind are a valuable part of Ohio’s natural resources. This resource is intended for owners of new ponds, owners of old ponds, or landowners who plan to build a pond. Managers of small private lakes will find useful information in this manual as will anglers who wish to be informed on pond management matters. The information contained in these pages is intended to educate as well as to guide. Where appropriate, basic biological information behind management practices has been included to help pond owners understand why certain practices work and others don’t. Many of the recommendations in this manual appear to be very cookbook-like in the way they are described. However, because no two ponds are identical, it should be noted that many of the rates suggested for fish stocking or chemical use are simply averages derived from ranges recommended for ponds in this part of the country. The idea here is to suggest techniques that should be effective in most ponds, and to describe the technique’s relation to the range of potential results. Our intent is to have the reader gain enough insight into what might happen, and why, to realize that pond management is as much an art as it is a science. The pond owner should seek to make use of the general principles of management contained within here, but also be aware that other sources of information are available, and make use of them when circumstances warrant. The organization of this manual was designed to achieve these purposes. In Chapter 1, the topic of pond construction is presented to place the importance of all the factors that go into a quality pond in the proper perspective. Chapter 2 addresses the idea of stocking fish in the pond in terms of the proper kinds and numbers of fish to stock, as well as kinds to avoid. In Chapter 3, the concept of management practices to create a desired type of fishing is covered. Whereas the first two chapters are intended primarily for new ponds, the management practices chapter is applicable to both new and existing ponds. The idea of managing aquatic vegetation, rather than simply eliminating it, is presented in Chapter 4.The idea here is that the pond can be viewed as a garden where certain types and amounts of vegetation are beneficial, whereas others are not and may require some type of control. Fish health concerns are addressed in Chapter 5, with the intention of providing the reader with an understanding of potential threats to fish health as well as preventative measures that can be taken. The concluding chapter comes to grips with all of the things that can go wrong or cause problems for the pond owner. Again, the intent here is that by understanding the conditions that can lead to problems, the reader can be better prepared to prevent them in the first place. It is our sincere hope that the information presented in here will contribute significantly to the understanding and enjoyment of your pond. A properly constructed, maintained, and managed pond will be an asset rather than a liability, and can enhance your quality of life through the years of recreation and enjoyment it provides.