Undesirable Fish Species

Pond owners should never stock any species of fish without first consulting a fishery biologist. Species such as shad, crappie, shiners, bullhead catfish or hybrid bream can cause problems to pond balance and are only advisable under specific circumstances. Wild fish may also enter the pond from the watershed through no fault of the owner. Once undesirable species have become established, the only remedies are to drain the pond or attempt to control their numbers by increasing the bass population if the wild fish can be eaten by the bass.

The information above came from the Alabama Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division's booklet Sportfish Management in Alabama Ponds, which is available as a PDF.