Tips for Blending Fishing and Livestock Watering Uses in Ponds

Pine Bluff, AR — By far the most prominent roles of ponds built in Arkansas are
recreational fishing and livestock watering. Optimal designs for these ponds are quite different
but they are often built to serve both purposes for their owners, Scott Jones, small impoundment
Extension specialist at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, said.
The following are some tips given by Jones to improve the performance of ponds built to
serve one purpose or the other, as well as ways to blend designs to achieve great results for both
purposes.
Fishing Ponds
Recreational fishing ponds tend to do well with complex shorelines, or shorelines that
bend and curve with points, peninsulas and pockets, Jones said. Submerged or exposed islands
can also provide depth and shoreline diversity. These topographical features provide locations
for fish to congregate and position based on wind, sunlight and depth.
“While good for fish, increasing complexity also increases construction costs. Fishing
ponds range in size from tiny, less than 0.25 acres, to hundreds of acres,” he said. “Water depths
should quickly reach about 3 feet (utilizing a max 3:1 slope; one foot deep for every 3 feet from
shore), with a maximum depth around 12 to 14 feet. Deeper than this, especially in small ponds,
is unnecessary and often encourages more severe turnovers in fall.”
Diffused aeration, while beneficial in most ponds, is highly encouraged in deeper ones.
Install fish habitat in the form of tree logs and limbs, piles of rock, brush piles or artificial cover

for fish to hang around. Occupying 20 to 40% of the total pond area with cover tends to result in
better fish production than less or more.
Livestock Watering Ponds
Livestock drinking water ponds, or tanks, tend to be smaller, usually less than 0.50 acres
but up to several acres each. Overall shapes are simpler, often circular with more gradual slopes,
as little as 8:1 or 6:1 but no more than 4:1 if animals are meant to enter the pond. Steeper slopes
are more difficult for the animals to negotiate, Jones said. Max depth is not as important in
livestock ponds, but their small size and lower shoreline slopes often keep them relatively
shallow.
“For superior drinking water quality, prevent animal access to the pond by fencing the
entire perimeter. Install a gravity- or pump-fed watering trough away from the pond on a pad
reinforced with non-woven geotextile fabric covered by 6-8 inches of coarse #53 or #57 crushed
limestone covered by about 2 inches of coarse agricultural lime,” he said. “Ideally, locate the
drinking pad downhill from the pond so that runoff from the high-use area does not drain into the
pond.”
External watering structures not only provide water that is cooler, cleaner and containing
lower bacteria loads, it also extends the life of the pond. If external watering structures are
impractical, fence off the majority of the pond and construct reinforced access points same as
described above for the drinking pads, Jones said. Build them at least 10 feet wide at the edge of
the pond and extend a floating fence ring along the edge of the reinforced entry area. This allows
animals a cleaner direct access point but also reduces negative impacts to water quality.

Blending Fishing and Livestock Watering Uses
“Generally, it is easier to make a typical ‘fishing pond’ suitable for livestock than it is to
make a typical ‘livestock pond’ suitable for good fishing,” he said. “Many old livestock ponds
are shallow, muddy and relatively small, which limits fish production and health. Fishing pond
banks often require clearing, lowering and reinforcing the slope for animals to safely enter.
Ponds can serve both roles well if livestock are excluded or limited access as described above.”
For older small livestock ponds, channel catfish and bluegill tend to be good species to
try because catfish are adept to life in muddy water and bluegill reproduce prolifically, Jones
said. Popular sportfish like largemouth bass and crappie tend to struggle in muddy livestock
ponds compared to cleaner fishing ponds.
“Fishing ponds retrofitted to allow livestock access can still produce good fishing, but
you may notice an increase in muddy water, algae bloom density and aquatic weeds due to
higher nutrient loads from the animals disturbing the bank and relieving themselves in or near
the water,” he said. “While dealing with these problems requires more attention and investment,
it is the natural consequence of managing a multi-use piece of infrastructure.”

For more information about blending fishing and livestock watering ponds, contact Jones
at (870) 575-8185 or joness@uapb.edu.