The Principles of Lake Management

Lake management is a simple concept, but actual water body management can be a very complex task. In the United States, there are an estimated 5+ million private lakes and ponds. And although lakes and ponds are often built for irrigation and livestock watering, recreation is usally the primary reason for building a lake. Unfortunately, most lakes and ponds are poorly managed for sport fishing, even though as much as 25 percent of all fishing takes place in private ponds!

Properly managed lakes provide excellent recreational opportunities, particulary for popular fish species such as largemouth bass, channel catfish, and hybrid bream. A good fishing lake must typically be stocked with the fish species of choice, continually maintained, and then fish removed or harvested at the appropriate rate. Most lake owners do not know the fundamentals of lake management, but that was exactly why this site was created, so keep reading.

The first step in recreational lake management is to decide what kind of recreation is desired. Lakes and ponds can be managed for fishing, swimming, wildlife attraction, and aesthetics, but it is difficult to manage for all of these recreational activities on the same scale. However, all objectives can be achieved to some extent, but the most important can be emphasized. This site promotes lake management for recreational sport fishing.