[left] Jut thought I'd write this as my own little public service [/left] [center]announcement. Stay away from Willow Pond, I repeat stay away. About once [/center] [center]a year, I get the urge to just stop by there real quick, to catch a couple. [/center] [center]Unfortunately, the water is way over fished, people are elbow to elbow. I [/center] [center]though this time of year, they wouldn't be out in force, but I was wrong. Willow[/center] [center]is more of a playground than a fishing hole. Amazingly enough, with as[/center] [center]many people as there were fishing there on this day Tuesday March 30, I[/center] [center]still only saw one fish actually caught. It has been the same, everytime I have[/center] [center]visited. And the fish that are caught are all baby trout. Sadly however, all the [/center] [center]good sized fish I did see, were laying on the banks dead. With a few [/center] [center]exceptions, the people fishing this hole are for the most part[/center] [center]on the lower end of the fishing totem pole, and no doubt do not understand [/center] [center]catch and release, and have all but destroyed Willow Pond. For all you [/center] [center]serious anglers out there, you'd be wise to just skip Willow Pond, because [/center] [center]your not missing much.[/center] [center] [/center]
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Hey just goes to show ya, with the poppularity of the new urban fishing development(Willow pond),THEY SHOULD MAKE ALOT MORE URBAN FISHING AREAS AVAILABLE IN S.L.C.OR IN GENERAL!!![cool][cool][cool][cool][cool][cool]
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You need to keep in mind that Willow Pond is meant to be a put and take pond. The pond is not suited for a self-sustaining trout fishery. The only big trout tou'll ever see there will be those big brood stocks they retire. They're in there to be kept....why else would they put brook trout in the pond? It woudldn't make sense.
I've never fished it and probably never will unless I get a craving for some catfish fillets while I'm in the neighborhood, but if it gets new people interested in fishing and keeps a few more away from my other fishing holes, then let it be.
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Well said ShrimpBoy,
I say let the masses gather and hopefully the kids can pull in there fish fishes. This allows for the serious angler to have rub shoulders with other serious anglers on the big waters. Plus, to the Urban fisher and nature challenged, it becomes to easy to treat our wild waters like a urban park. Meaning: Liter, noise, disrespect for the land, and associated nature conservation abuse. (All do to a lack of nature education not because they are bad folk I may add)
I think Urban fisheries are a great resource for families to enjoy a trout, bluegill, bass etc...dinner and it helps the DWR to get rid of the Broad Stock in a sensible manner. The state does a great job in maintaining these fishing holes and kids can have a ball at the same time.
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I went to Willow Pond for the first time today just to check it out but I didn't fish.
The park looked pleasant enough but it was pretty crowded probably 30 anglers at about 10 am on a Wednesday.
I took a short walk to try and scope it out as it's a pretty convenient place to wet a hook and all I saw was an old guy with an even older
bassett hound that had 4 trout on a stringer. The biggest fish was about 9 inches.
the other 3 were about 7 inches... and he kept them.[crazy]
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Couldn't agree with you more about keeping them away from the real holes. However what I meant about catch and release, is there are some decent sized cats as well as a few other good sized fish in there. People are catching them and just leaving them dead on the shore, and thats
. There's dead fish all over the shore there that people have just left. Thats all I was saying. Toatally, if it keeps them away from the real holes, and they can just destroy that one instead. Amen
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There is significant winter kill and death amoungst the fish as a whole in Willow due to the fact that it is not a natural habitat to many of the fish stocked. I can see the uneducated thinking that Catfish are a trash fish so that part is definatley unfortunate. Like mentioned, 2-3 more ponds like Willow would reduce the numbers and signs posted explaining rules of species and fishing would help with people learning not to kill the kitties and others.
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Hey, its not half bad fishing. If theirs no big fish in there, where did my 20" brookie and my 2lb. LMB come from? What about those channels that are HUGE!!! Sure, most people keep. OH WELL!!! The trout will die anyway. Lets put it like this-if I can go and catch a good 20 trout in a day, its good fishing.
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I'm guessing that a lot of those dead fish you see on the shore are from people TRYING to release their fish. The uneducated fisherman often tries to let fish go after tearing a hook out of its gut. I doubt people would get away with just throwing their fish away there....it's patrolled too often.
Also, with how hot that water gets in the summer, just being caught is a death sentance. I doubt the trout can stand the stress. As for the catfish, they ship them in from Kansas to stock them. They're also meant to be kept.
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i dunno i have heard of some good size fish out of willow. i know they are the old broods but what a catch in the valley.
jr8fish
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I fish there quite often, it's a great place to take my kids when we don't have time to drive out of town. We usually do pretty good with 1/2 oz. kastmasters. I tried for some bass last weekend but I think it was still a little too cold for them.
I totally agree that we need more urban fisheries along the wasatch front, it would be great to introduce more people to fishing that otherwise wouldn't get the chance as well as thin out the crowds at the mountain lakes.
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