About 12 years ago I dug a pond 8' deep. I got a permit to stock it with fish from a fishery which I did. Recently I was recently criticized by a club member for adding panfish from local waters as it was against the law to do so.
Note: the pond is not connected to any waterway and only has some PVC pipes that drain water from the woods behind it to add water into the pond. Good thing - the pond was down 4' from last year's drought.

Does Texax law prohibit adding fish caught from another water to a farm pond not connected to any other water? The reason given by our local DEC made no sense: the possibility of adding diseased fish that could spread to other fish. Okay, I can understand that for public waters, but not for a private pond besides which I am careful to add only healthy panfish which have spawned many times - including bass from the fishery.



Before trees were planted:


The fish are like pets and I never fish it anymore but do feed a bunch of sunnies and 6 turtles bits of bread daily. A few 2 lb. bass swim near to see what all the commotion is about but don't eat bread. It's more or less a giant aquarium - except with lily pads.

I know a Game Warden who caught bream from an area lake to put them in a pond he built on his personal property.

The only problem I see is the water you transport the panfish in. The zebra mussel thing.

But, you’re not transporting to a public lake from a public lake. It’s to private waters. It’s no big deal.

It's the transporting thing, not about the lake or pond.

No law against taking them to a private pond.

Part of the confusion is that the regulations and interpretations have changed over the years. Here is the current wording from the TPWD page:

“It is unlawful to place any game fish into public waters, other than the body of water where the fish was caught, without a valid permit issued by TPWD. This includes fish caught by pole and line. To apply for a permit to place fish into public waters (no fee required), download an application form or call (800) 792-1112 (menu 4) or (512) 389-4742.”

So no issue with private waters.

But then there is also this bait regulation, which appears to possibly contradict the above regulation.

“Live fish, including personally caught live bait, cannot be transported from the water body where the fish were caught in or aboard a vessel in water from the water body where the fish were caught.”

So, unfortunately it depends on how the activity is interpreted by a game warden. If you carry water from you private pond and place a fish into your water and transport it back to your private pond, that doesn’t conflict with the written regulations. Interpretation is another issue.

All I know is that enforcing the reg. is impossible. Storing caught fish in a plastic box containing water and with an aerator to keep fish alive (a livewell if you will), is perfectly legal. What I chose to do with those fish is my business and if anyone asks, I'd say they are going into my 200 gal, aquarium.LOL Nothing in the law says I can't keep fish as pets and nothing says I have to kill them.

I took fish home today and they went into the pond. Most of the fish are from the lake I fish regularly and I've never seen a diseased fish nor fish dead on the surface nor on the bottom,

Question in line with the idiotic regulation:
Bass tournament fish are kept in a livewell. If one is diseased and in close proximity to healthy bass for hours, what's to say there won't be the spread of the disease - especially in the water the fish are all released after being weighed in. Supposedly diseased fish are carriers and contaminate other waters. Why not diseased bass taken from one part of the lake to another and released from livewells that may be contaminated?
Very unlikely I'm sure but something overlooked as a possibility by those with nothing better to do except find reasons to fine anglers.

Just don't tell anybody, and delete this thread.

This would put a lot of fish suppliers out of business, as I know most, if not all, of the companies delivering shad to private ponds get their shad from public waters.

From the size of the pond. I'd leave it alone. Toss in a couple fish from a catch.

But if you're set on spending money. A simple search,


https://hennekehatchery.com/fish/catfish/


https://lochowranch.com/fish-for-stocking/



Texas Parks and Wildlife buy their stock from somewhere. Including the Feds.

Plus 1.

you can haul them in any water you want from any lake you catch them to your pond and not a thing the tpwd will do about it.

you neighbor is dead wrong.

If anyone asks what I'm going to do with the fish in my livewell, my answer: they should do well in my 200 gal. aquarium.

Per the Game Warden. Perfectly legal as long as the bag limits and length limits are adhered to.