The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission released the nursery pond s fish into Lake Hinkle on July 18. Earlier in the year, the pond was stocked with 15,000 largemouth bass and 150 adult redear sunfish. In addition to the other stocked fish a large number of fathead minnows were released into the lake on April 9. The reproduction from the fathead minnow spawn serves as food for the largemouth bass and the adult redear sunfish. The pond was fertilized on two occasions with commercial fertilizer to maintain a phytoplankton bloom.
Phytoplankton is minute plant life and serves as food for minnows and other small fish in the pond.
Nursery ponds are the best management tool for stocking large reservoirs. The first crop of fish was released from Lake Hinkle Nursery Pond in 1973 and it has been used each year since then to stock the lake.