Hey all was very curious,
After typing my last post I got A.D.D reading the fishing regs for 2011 and I heard the name Holmes Creek and started doing some research on it. The only post I can find is 5 years old (and seemingly writen by a 5 year old...[crazy]) and it praises that location alot.
So I was very interested in it, have any of you been there lately (withen the last five years [
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It is in layton off of Highway 80 on Gentile. Is it worth going to next season? In your opinion how does it compare to Bountiful Lake?
Living in Farmington it definitaly interests me...
I know I asked of questions but I'll return you wisdom some way some day!!
Thanks
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It is also referred to as Company Pond and there are recent reports on here about it, including the warning to watch out for the large hole that someone left in the ice.
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I'd be interested to learn more about this watering hole too. I heard rumor that it was a good ice fishing spot - good variety of fish. So is it the one just off a golf course? I've scoped it on Google maps, and we drive past to Granmas - figured - I get the Mrs to her moms, then duck out to "get groceries" or some such, then grab her when it's time to go home!!!!
I can't seem to see the golf-course from the old highway. Need to find directions to it.
Please - lemme know what you find out. Thanks.
When I first came to UT about 5 years ago we hit it almost weekly as it was a small pond with many many different types of fish in it. Back then it had many planter trout as well as some good cats. Also white bass were all over the sand on the....I think its the south east corner in the summer. I have seen 3 eyes pulled out of there in the past and you used to be able to see them feeding in the shallows. There were also a good # of SMB in there with stories of lagries that were huge coming out of it. If you use a tiny tiny hook in the shallow sumberged brush, you could catch dink gills, but I never caught one worth eating. I have not been there in 2 years, but back then it had a little of everything....just not a ton of one thing....and it has suffered some LOW LOW water since then and that was when we stopped fishing it. It may be good again. We used to fish the dam area thru the ice and catch tons of c and r dink trout (fun for kids).
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[quote CoyoteSpinner]
So is it the one just off a golf course?
I can't seem to see the golf-course from the old highway. Need to find directions to it.
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Yes, it is that one.
As one travels north on Highway 89 one will see a large water tank on the west side of the road. I believe the sign on the tank says, "Layton Surf and Swim". The next road north of the large water tank is Gentile Street and one takes that road heading west. Park where some large transmission power lines cross the road. There is a road (has a gate on it, so one can not drive down it) that one can access and hike down to the dam to access the reservoir.
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Thanks Kent. I thought it was about there, appreciate the directions. So sounds like no entrance fee?
Any idea how the ice is there? Can't recall what species are down there. Think Cats were among them. Being Utah - Trout probably.
There was a Directions thread, but I couldn't find it last night. Wanted to see if it was listed. Think Curt got it started...
Thanks man!
No entrance fee. It has a few of about every species that will live in a small reservoir at that elevation. Likely catches are planter rainbows, channel cats, crappie and bluegill.
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No fee but no parking lot.
Be sure to stay the legal distance from the fire hydrants.
Layton City will site you for improper parking.
Be sure that your vehichle is totally off the road.
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Hey MarineSpear, not sure where you're searching cause I went to Search-> Utah
Fishing Forum (All Forums), put in "Holmes Creek" and it gave me 20 pages of results from 2003 to just a few days ago. Some of those reports and comments are mine because I've been fishing there for almost 20 years. I've mentioned quite a bit about my observations over the years in those posts but will sum them up for ya. When I was seven we moved to a house on Woodridge drive, which sits just east of the lake. Naturally, being a young boy I was bit by the curiosity bug and just had to go exploring. I soon discovered that the lake was chuck full of hand sized bluegill and monster largemouth bass, the former being much easier to catch. I even remember catching a few redear sunfish (the only place in utah that has ever had them). Things changed dramatically though when they drew the lake down to almost nothing in order to make the dam earthquake proof. Most of the fish died off so it took a few years for them to make a comeback. Afterwards, they re-stocked it with a mixed bag of fish and there weren't nearly as many bass and bluegill, but instead small schools of white bass, crappie and a few perch and walleye started to appear. Fast forward a few more years and they made it a communtiy pond. After this the lake became even more popular (and trashed filled). It was then routinely dumped with rainbow trout and a few channel catfish (which had a negative effect on the other species). In a post I made last year you can see a half starved rainbow trout (too many trout and not enough food in the lake). Thats about all I caught in there last year but I have hopes that the lake will recover since it was recently taken off the community pond list and will no longer be used as a slimer dump. [fishon]
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Thanks for the great info, and quick history lesson. you should do a writeup on Holmes like TD has on UL?!
Guess I've been driving past it the past 15+ years, and never took the turn. Always wanted to hit the river running along Hwy80 - just cuz it's there.
That does it though - next time down to Grandmas - I'm snaggin some of the relatives and sneaking out for a "walk" - on water!
I think the thing that caught my eye - and it was probably one of your posts - was the variety in there. As long as we don't fall in a big hole - could be some fun tugs.
Thanks again. And the parking tips. Doesn't sound like it'd be a climb down - being there's a gate and a road.?.
I went to check it out today and the instructions they gave are spot on. Look for the powerlines and you will see a chain link fence to the driving range on the right and a drop off on the left. You will see the gate and the water is no more then a hundred feet beyond the gate.
There were a few guys on the ice when I went to look but I have never ice fished so if anyone saw someone else there but didn't fish wearing shorts chances are it was me today!
Definitaly looks like a place I will have to try TONS this summer to learn it like I have Farmington and Bountiful and East Canyon. It's fun to be able to go out and know exactly how to get whatever you want at a certain water!
Especially with gas the way it is...
Thanks for all the great info and now I think I need to learn how to use the search box cause when I look up Holmes Creek I still only get like three...
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The easiest way to find it I say is to google map Valley View golf course and companies pond is directly east across the road. How did it get the name Holmes Creek? I have always known it as Companies since I was knee high to a grasshopper!
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So what's the story on the pond at the other end of the golf course? Anything for anglers?
And I'm guessing Holmes doesn't host a boat launch. But can you drop a duck-boat, canoe, tube on there? Any motor restrictions? Just not quite sure how big it really is.
I'm thinking smaller than Mantua.
Shorts - in this weather?! You nuts! Maybe you shoulda looked for the big hole and taken a polar-bear-plunge! [shocked]
Again - thanks for the info/updates.
Sorry, there is no swimming or watercraft of any kind allowed there. That's a good thing too because it makes enough of the lake inaccessible so the fish can hide and multiply each year. It's way smaller than Mantua, not much over an acre I think. I went ice fishing for a few hours and caught a few planter bows. The action was fairly fast. It'll take a few years for the biomass to tip back in the favor of the warm water fish that are in there but it will happen. Here piggy piggy!
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In the Utah fishing guide for 2011 it is named Holmes Creek. I only noticed it becaused it said Davis County next to it and I was thinking I knew all the spots in Davis. But it's new to me.
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I have never been to mantua but this pond/lake is about 33 acres if I read the website correctly. I have a couple pictures for an idea. You can see the size if you compare it to the two hard deckers in the center left side...
Also there is a picture of one of the signs on the gate to help you recognize it
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It's a lot bigger than just an acre!
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Oops, that's what I get for not googling it. Ha, I live on 1/2 an acre so thinking about it yeah it's alot bigger than that, but still much smaller than Mantua. Good luck to you in your fishing pursuits!
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