The fishing in our 3/4 acre pond has been in decline. We had it stocked 4 years ago and the fishing was great. Now, the shell crackers are less than hand size and we have not caught a decent bass in forever. I think the decline has a lot to do with the fact that the bank has zero cover for the little fish. There is no place for them to hide and the bass just wipe them out. I’d like to load up 2 or 3 areas close to the bank with some cinder bricks and other DIY habitat to give the little fish a better chance. But, this is family property and some don’t want to see anything in the water from the bank. To me, it seems that the problem needs to be corrected from the bottom of the food chain up. I’d like to get some advice from those who may have corrected a similar problem.

Because the pond is small, I really don’t want to put a lot of wood structure in it for fear the decaying wood could affect the oxygen levels. I don’t know maybe I’m wrong there. The pond is fed by runoff so I don’t think the water turns over several times a year.

Any advice appreciated.

Last edited by bambam32; 03/06/26 09:17 PM.