If your pond or lake is 1/4 acre or larger and in Wisconsin or Illinois, we can make fish stocking recommendations for you!
Keystone Hatcheries is located between Chicago and Milwaukee, and because of great differences in fish populations and environmental conditions around the country, we only advise on fish stockings in our area, which is Wisconsin and Illinois.
Also, we can only make good quality recommendations if we have a decent idea of what is actually in your pond. If you are unsure what is in the pond, the best we can do is offer a partial or complete restocking, which may or may not be a good idea, depending on what is going on in your pond.
To receive a recommendation, please send answers to all of the following questions to info@keystonehatcheries.com.:
- Your name, address, phone and email.
- Pond/lake address, if different
- Approximate Surface Acres (go to Pond Calculator for help)
- Maximum and Average Depth (Average is usually 1/2 of Maximum, unless the bottom shape is unusual)
- Are there any fish in the pond/lake? If yes, tell us about what species are present, what their size range is and what their general abundance is
- Are there any fish species that you want or don’t want?
- What are your goals for the pond/lake? For example, do you want to be able to catch and keep fish, catch and release, or just have for wildlife? If you have multiple goals, state them in order of importance.
- Do you have a budget? If so, please give maximum amount so that we can develop a plan that best allocates your resources.
For a more complete description of what is needed to receive a high quality stocking recommendation, please read the article What should I stock? Five Steps to a quality fish stocking recommendation.
Our recommendations are based on years of experience, but there is always variability that can lead to unpredictable results. Because of this and the very dynamic nature of aquatic environments in general, Keystone Hatcheries will accept no responsibility and/or liability for any issue that may arise with the fish populations.
Please keep in mind that this is not a scientific survey, and any projects that will have major implications should be based on more complete information, such as sampling and shocking data. Also, it is our policy to not give stocking recommendations for public lakes that are managed by the DNR.