Texas Sportfish Stocking Options
Largemouth Bass Options
Glazener Hybrid Stripers
Glazener Hybrid Stripers
Our unique Lone Star Legacy Bass (Certified Pure Florida) & Northern Largemouth Bass are both genetically pure breed stocks.
Glazener Hybrid Stripers
Glazener Hybrid Stripers
Glazener Hybrid Stripers
We are proud to have worked with George Glazener in a successful effort to promote hybrid striped bass for private sport fish stocking. Hybrid stripers revolutionized private fishery management by providing a feasible alternative to traditional and accepted practice.
Blue & Channel Catfish
Glazener Hybrid Stripers
Coppernose Bluegill & Redear Sunfish
We are proud to offer D & B Blue Catfish as well as Channel Catfish, from fingerling size up to trophy size. Everyone has their preference, and some like to maximize their catfish angling experience by mixing it up with both blue and channel catfish.
Coppernose Bluegill & Redear Sunfish
Coppernose Bluegill & Redear Sunfish
Coppernose Bluegill & Redear Sunfish
With the potential to grow to over 2lbs here in Texas waters, coppernose bluegill & redear sunfish are considered to be great sportfish.
Winter Rainbow Trout
Coppernose Bluegill & Redear Sunfish
Winter Rainbow Trout
In December of each year we offer winter rainbow trout in two sizes, forage fingerlings and catchable adults. Stock adults to spice up your winter angling experience, stock fingerlings to feed your largemouth bass through the winter, into early spring.
Black Crappie
Coppernose Bluegill & Redear Sunfish
Winter Rainbow Trout
There is a lot of interest in black crappie, due to their culinary value, but they are not always the best choice for smaller lakes and ponds. Successful crappie production in small lakes and ponds may require a custom management program.
Lone Star Legacy Bass
Lone Star Legacy Bass - Overton Fisheries Signature Strain
Lone Star Legacy Bass represent our "signature-strain" of Florida Largemouth Bass. These unique, often golden-colored bass were acquired from a local private lake that is famous for producing monsters weighing 10#-15#. Our Legacy Bass breeding stock were acquired direct from this private lake, and even more breeders were produced from fingerlings out of the Lunker Breeding Program. These fish have a golden shine across the back, heavy mottling pattern, and many individuals exhibit a blue-green mark on their upper back near the head. If you have a new fishery anywhere in the southern states, stock these genetics for the potential to grow monsters. If you have an existing fishery and want to introduce Legacy Bass, consider growing out fingerlings to larger size in a separate grow-out pond before transfer. These fish have a true legacy in the Lone Star State of Texas, and you can help to preserve this special premium strain by stocking them in your fishery. The Legacy Bass are available as fingerlings, from late May - July, and sometimes in the Fall.
Northern Largemouth Bass
Northern largemouth bass can be stocked in fisheries where high catch rates take priority over trophy bass production. In general, northern strain largemouth bass are more of a domesticated stock, as they have been trained to readily take pelleted fish food, and they are relatively easy to catch. Northern largemouth bass are available in a wide variety of sizes, from 2"-3" up to 2-3lb fish.
Glazener Hybrid Stripers
Glazener Hybrid Stripers are relatively new to the list of accepted private pond & lake stockers. Thanks to veteran fisherman and close friend George Glazener (RIP), we are now producing and promoting hybrid stripers as a viable sport fish for lakes & ponds across Texas.
Glazener was an expert fisherman with many years of Texoma striper fishing under his belt. He was also credited for development of the "Glazener Spinster" fly and the use of jig-hooks for fly-tying. About 10 years ago, Glazener was told by TPWD sources that hybrid stripers would not be good candidates for private pond stocking. Glazener challenged this assertion, and thanks to his vision and support, we were convinced to devote resources aimed at raising hybrid stripers to advanced sizes for pond & lake stocking. We will forever recognize and appreciate the contribution that Glazener made to this industry. RIP our good friend George.
The Hybrid Striped Bass is a fantastic sport fish option for most ponds & lakes. They will outfight, pound for pound, most any other sport fish. Our hybrid striper, also referred to as Sunshine Bass, are the result of a cross between a striped bass male and a white bass female. Hybrid stripers are trained on floating fish food, live for up to 6-7 years, and can easily grow to over 5 lbs in your pond or lake. Some of our clients have produced hybrid stripers around 10#. Successful natural reproduction does not occur with hybrid stripers in small lakes & ponds. We recommend stocking these fish to help prevent the overpopulation of bluegill or crappie, to add diversity and spice to the sport fish population, and to maximize winter-time fishing opportunities. Hybrid stripers are fast top-end predators, schooling and feeding on forage fish and high protein fish food, even throughout a typical Texas winter. Hybrid Stripers are Todd Overton's personal dinner-plate favorite. Stocking rate is typically 50-100 fish per acre. If interested in stocking hybrid stripers in an existing bass fishery, you need to choose 8"+ size fish for good survival rates.
D&B Blue Catfish
Stocking blue cats in your pond or lake can add sport-fish diversity, more recreational value, and not to mention, more broken lines and straightened hooks. The D&B strain of blue catfish got its name at the D&B Fish Farm in Crockett TX, which has since gone out of business. This particular strain of blue catfish was selected and developed for their fast growth and hardiness. We are very proud to be stewards of this famous strain of blue catfish, and we are one of the very few hatcheries that offer blue catfish. Blue cats have the potential to outgrow all other fish in your pond or lake, and they fight like a freight train. Most folks (including us) report that Blue Catfish have a better tasting meat than channel catfish. These premium strain blue catfish are available as fingerling size up to trophy adult size, and are stocked at 50-1000 per acre, depending on your program. We have a cult following for our D&B Blue Cats, and we appreciate your continued interest in these awesome fish!
Channel Catfish
Channel catfish are well suited for most aquatic environments, and are ideal for muddy farm ponds. Raising channel catfish in ponds and lakes is considered to be fairly easy and straight-forward, as they readily consume pelleted fish food, grow very fast, and are quite hardy. Channel Catfish should be managed as put and take fish: stock em, grow em, catch em, eat em, restock em. Channel Catfish will reproduce in lakes and ponds, BUT in most cases, egg/fry survival is 0% due to predation from other fish. In some rare cases channel catfish may spawn successfully if the conditions are just right. Most people agree that they are a joy to raise, fun to catch, and great to eat.
Channel Catfish are available from 4"-6" fingerlings up to 1#+ adults. Stocking rates vary from conservative 50-100/acre rates for low competition in bass ponds, up to 1000/acre in your dedicated catfish production pond.
OTS Coppernose Bluegill
OTS (Overton's Texas Strain) Coppernose Bluegill - Signature Strain
Our unique OTS Coppernose Bluegill have a story behind them. By combining the genetics from some of George Glazener's coppernose bluegill with some of the best from our existing fish farm stock, we have produced some high quality pure coppernose bluegill genetics. The breeding stock for these genetics are chosen based on certain characteristics. Males are chosen based on the presence of pronounced orange or red caudal fin with white tipping, exaggerated copper bar across the nose, few vertical bars, bull head. Females are chosen based on evidence of pure coppernose traits plus body condition i.e. egg mass bulge. These OTS Coppernose Bluegill will breed true in your fishery year after year. The males are beautiful and can grow up to 2lbs+. The females have tremendous reproductive potential and can start spawning as soon as they reach the 3" mark.
Redear Sunfish
Redear sunfish, also called shell-crackers, are a member of the sunfish family. These specialty fish are strikingly beautiful, considered forage and/or sport fish, and play an important ecological role as snail-eaters. They are listed as a sport fish because they can reach 1lb+ sizes and are fun to catch. They are listed as forage fish because they spawn annually, producing significant numbers of offspring, and they have a relatively small mouth. Redear sunfish are important for the control of aquatic snails. Snails are carriers of the very common yellow grub parasite. By consuming snails, redear sunfish break the life cycle of yellow grub parasites and can prevent this parasite from becoming a problem in your fishery.
Stocking rate for redear sunfish in new fisheries is up to 250 fish per acre, but a higher stocking density may be needed in existing fisheries.
Black Crappie
Believe it or not, crappie are members of the sunfish family. Black crappie spawn in the early spring, before largemouth bass or bluegill. This is the main reason, in light of the fact that crappie produce a huge number of eggs, that crappie are not typically recommended in lakes smaller than 10-15 acres. Crappie fry/fingerlings, being the first to hatch off in the early spring, happen to be hungry and waiting when other fish begin to spawn. Stocking crappie in ponds less than 10-15 acres may require a special management program in order to ensure success. This program may involve stocking threadfin shad or shiners for abundant forage, plus the stocking of hybrid stripers or largemouth bass for crappie population control. Black crappie are available November - May, and we prefer to stock 4"-6" or 6"+ fish in existing fisheries. Stocking rate for black crappie is 100-150 per acre.
Winter Rainbow Trout
We bring in these fish each December and have many dedicated trout-lovers across Texas that stock every winter. They are fun to catch, great table-fare, and grow fast through the Texas winter. Most often our stock averages about 1# ea. Break out your fly-rod and clear out your recent memories of Texas summer heat!!