# FWC fish stocking



## FishWalton (Jul 22, 2010)

This should probably be posted in the General Discussion section, but I figure more freshwater folks may see it here. Have you wondered just what all FWC does with the fish stocking program? Here is the latest info that is posted in the blog section of myfwc.com/social. This sure answers a lot of questions on how many and where fish are stocked. 

http://myfwc.com/media/3398199/StockingSummary2015.pdf


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## SeaPA (May 31, 2015)

Hey, Fishwalton. Good info! I was reading this and was wondering if you knew where the "Kiwanis Club Pond" in Waltin County is? I Googled it, but Google did not seem to know...


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## flounder1156 (Jul 9, 2009)

*FWC stocking*



SeaPA said:


> Hey, Fishwalton. Good info! I was reading this and was wondering if you knew where the "Kiwanis Club Pond" in Waltin County is? I Googled it, but Google did not seem to know...


SeaPA ...the Kiwanis Pond your referring to is the small retention pond located on Okaloosa Island by the Gulfarium / Okaloosa Island pier parking lot.( east side)
The FWC Blackwater Fisheries Center has stocked this small pond with hybrid striped bass for children's fishing events that the Kiwanis Club sponsors.


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## FishWalton (Jul 22, 2010)

SeaPA said:


> Hey, Fishwalton. Good info! I was reading this and was wondering if you knew where the "Kiwanis Club Pond" in Waltin County is? I Googled it, but Google did not seem to know...


The Kiwanis Club holds an annual fishing day for kids here in Lake DeFuniak. I assume this is the 'Kiwanis Club Pond'. It's 40 acres in size in the middle of town. I had no idea it was stocked for the event. Not very many fish are caught but it's very popular and well attended by scores of kids and parents. 

Right now the lake is so full the docks are flooded and the walk-way around the lake is several feet under water. It's spring fed so it's going to be a very long time before the water gets down below the sidewalk. There is a boat ramp on the west side by the Chautauqua Building. Paddle or electric motors only!


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## CatHunter (Dec 31, 2008)

We need bait fish to feed these predators. Keep a healthy bait fishery for these predators to feed on.


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## FishWalton (Jul 22, 2010)

CatHunter said:


> We need bait fish to feed these predators. Keep a healthy bait fishery for these predators to feed on.


Absolutely right! This lake has very little to offer fish food wise. I don't know if bait fish would even survive to reproduce. The bream and shellcrackers I have seen caught are skinny but sometimes they are huge in size. What little decent fishing there is is in the spring for a couple of months.


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## kevin32435 (Apr 17, 2008)

Lake DeFuniak could be a better fishing spot in my opinion it needs structure and a better bait source maybe stocking it with shad or some other food source for the bigger fish. it is a good spot have seen some nice bass and bream come out of there and heard reports of some nice cats in there.


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## NKlamerus (Jan 4, 2016)

kevin32435 said:


> Lake DeFuniak could be a better fishing spot in my opinion it needs structure and a better bait source maybe stocking it with shad or some other food source for the bigger fish. it is a good spot have seen some nice bass and bream come out of there and heard reports of some nice cats in there.


I've caught some 3 or 4s. The water is still too high, when it's lower I'll throw a TopWater past the reeds and bring it back through stopping it for 10 to 15 seconds after every twitch. 

My biggest was 4lb 2 oz out of there, and it was beyond skinny and to the point of unhealthy


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## kevin32435 (Apr 17, 2008)

The water is as high as I have ever seen it I have seen some bass in there up to 8 to 10 lbs but they are few and far inbetween wonder why the Game and Fish hasn't stocked any hybrids or stripers in the Choctawhatchee River?


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## FishWalton (Jul 22, 2010)

This is one of those lakes that is nice to look at but a poor lake to fish. In my boyhood the lake was the focal point for kids. That's where just about anyone who wanted to swim went to learn how and enjoy the cool clear water. It was closed to swimming in the early 60's and never reopened. That also stopped water skiing on the lake.

There are many street water drains around Circle Drive that send all the rain water to the lake. All the area homes surface water drains into the lake and there is no outlet to flush out the bad stuff. You know what that means to a body of water. Of course today this sort of drainage system would not be permitted, but it will never change from what it is right now. 

There have been some attempts to improve the lake with small stocking of fish, but in the long term it's simply not successful. The lake has plenty of cover in the grassline for bait and tiny fish to hide and grow, but there are not enough nutrients to produce much food.

For fishing you will see the occasional boat or bank fisherman in the spring, but hardly ever during other times of the year. I float my boat there myself maybe once a year just to mess around a little. Right now the lake is so full you would have to wade to launch a boat at the boat ramp.


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