thanks

what size you lookin for?!? i'll get ya as many as ya want!

dkmore, to the best of my knowledge, there are no fish farms or hatcheries here. I could be wrong.

Just about all of the fish trucks come from growers in Arkansas.

Here you go...http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/landwater/water/habitats/private_water/


Under Stocking and Management, click on Commercial Hatcheries, there's a complete list of hatcheries located throughout Texas.

What about the place in lewisville on Mill st. I know they used to have mass,minnow, and other fish. I forget the name of it.

Yeah, I can't remember the guys name but he also buys them from Arkansas. Good guy, though. I tried to buy grass carp from him last year. I'm pretty sure that he has moved to Flower Mound.

If I can remember his name, I'll post it.

Check with your local feed stores...they usually have a schedule for the days when the fish trucks visit them. Most of the trucks are reliable, but just like anything else, it pays to be a smart buyer.

I've tried most of them and recommend Arkansas Pondstockers as the best...best in terms of service and quality of fish.

I've bought quite often from fish trucks, generally with good results.

One word of advice/caution. When you find out that a truck is coming, find out who they are. Then call and ask for the route. Tell them that there are several places that you can meet the truck. If you find out that you are at the end of the circuit instead of the first, pass on buying. You want fish that have been on the truck for only a short time.

Dang, DD, don't let your PB buddies hear about that...you might be in trouble.

I'll never forget the wrath I got for defending fish trucks on the PB forum. Man, you'd think the world would end if you bought a fish from a fish truck.

The fish trucks provide a very valuable service in my area and in fact, a lot of folks wouldn't be able to have stocked ponds otherwise.

As a matter of fact, I've been "mislead" far more often by certain fish growers/sellers than fish trucks. It pays to be a smart buyer and always do your homework when buying fish for ponds.

Larry, that's one of the benefits of being an old goat. I seldom worry about other peoples thoughts or opinions.

People need to understand that the fish truck guys are seldom biologists but more salesmen/truck drivers than anything else. They do provide a service and it is convenience and availability. Not a lot of people know how to haul fish 3 or 4 hours to their ponds. I sweat bullets every time I make a 2 hour drive with fish for someone elses ponds, especially expensive fish like grass carp.

You are absolutely correct about needing to be a smart buyer. I've never heard a truck driver asking a buyer about his/her goals, size of pond, water quality, etc. That's not their job. Their job, IMO, is to return to Arkansas with an empty truck and a full purse. I do not expect the Driver to ask a buyer why they want too many LMB or to give them a crash course in pond management. I don't figure it is their job to ask whether I know that 200 bass will be a problem in a 1/2 acre pond.

The problem is that too few pond owners take the time to study the situation and what they are getting into. Again, that's just my opinion. Heck, you and I have handled and sometimes killed more fish, through experimentation or maybe stupidity, than the average guy will ever see. (Dang, what was I thinking? That didn't work.)

Dunns Fish Far, IMO, has been doing a tremendous disservice to pond owners by selling Black Crappie off their trucks. They are still saying that BC have a lower fecundity than White Crappie. Not true and they will ruin a pond less than 25 or so acres.

BTW, I saw an ad in the Fort Worth Stratlegram the other day from the free fish crook.That guy is like the Everready Bunny.

It's amazing that the "Everready Bunny" isn't in jail...he has been a fraud to many people.

However, just because someone is a "biologist" doesn't mean you will always get unbiased advice from them....especially if they are selling fish and their income depends on selling fish. To cite a few I've been given by a certain Texas biologist fish seller:
1. stock hybrid striped bass(HSB) in your pond because they will never get hook shy and will reach 8 to 10 pounds in three years...neither statement is true in any Texas pond I have seen, including my own.
2. you can easily maintain 1000 pounds per acre of HSB in any Texas farm pond...again not true, not even close. HSB are the most low O2 intolerant fish I have dealt with in fresh water.
3. stock gizzard shad in your pond for forage....this only works IF you have very large LMB to eat them, and even then it is a big gamble because gizzards tend to take over a small pond. I found a dead 12 inch gizzard shad just this past week which unfortunately was stocked by this same biologist fish seller
4. and the one you mentioned that Dun's was saying...stock Black Crappie because they are more manageable that white crappie in small ponds....fortunately I've seen the effects of this bad advice first hand and ignored it.

Each of those and more came from the same biologist fish seller.

There is so much misinformation out there on ponds. Complicating matters also is the fact that every pond is different and what works for one may or may not work for another. Be a smart buyer and your chances of getting screwed are reduced.