Smith Family Park & Pond

[Tin-Can]

Took a late start yesterday. Wife needed to try out a new med-lite rod and reel. Picked up a small tub of crawlers, went to Smith Pond. Sat out at the north end just behind the bathrooms (to block some of the wind out of the north-west) Wife hooked up a crawler under a bobber. I tried a white Gulp grub under a bobber.
I got first planter size Rainbow in about 15 minutes. Then she caught one. I switched over to a smaller jig head with a small yellow Gulp minnow. Had lots of nibbles and tugs but no hook up. Then she caught #2. I switched over to a Cabela's purple and silver plastic she had bought last year called a "Hoochi Koochi". It had been soaking in my Gulp juice bucket all winter. Took an almost immediate hit and run. Landed my #2. Then wife pulled in #3. By then the crawler she had been using was down to just a small section of worm skin. She tossed it back out, said "when this worm is gone, I'm done" And of course within just a few minutes, she pulls in #4. She packs up her stuff and goes to the truck while I make a desperate attempt to tie her 4 catches. Hooked up a little bigger silver / grey Gulp shiner. Got several "tastes" then finally my #3 decided I looked dejected enough and hooked up by just the skin of it's lip. Called that as good as I was gonna get. All 7 Rainbows released. Headed back home with at least the good feeling of having been outside, got a line wet, and actually landed a few. []

Read the forum posts from the Cat chasers and we wished we had gone to BRBR instead. Oh well. Next time, still lots of Cat season in front of us.
[fishin]
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[wiperhunter2]

That's a nice little pond there, we drove to it this Winter thinking about doing some ice fishing, until we read the sign, "No ice fishing allowed"[]. Sould be a fun little pond, if it doesn't get fished out.
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[Tin-Can]

Not sure how it would be for ice fishing even if they allowed it. It looked pretty frozen all winter, but there are 2 aerator "bubble ups" that I imagine are used to keep the water oxygenated, may keep the ice pretty thin. Pond has two islands one near the north end and one near the south end. Just a few yards away from each of those islands, there is one lone duck (fake) that marks the aerator. You can see constant bubbles in those 2 areas. We fished it a few times last year, late in Aug & Sep. Always caught something. Last year it was stocked with Channel and Bullhead Cats, young Wiper, and supposedly LMB. We never caught any LMB.
So far it has stayed pretty clean. But you know as well as I do, at some point there will be people that will come in over fish it, keep way more than the 2 fish limit and leave all their waste behind, as well as vandalize the bathrooms (which are not open yet). But it's a nice place right now, and with the playground and bathrooms, as well as pavilions, I think we may use it to get my grandson introduced to basic fishing, maybe this summer.
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[hogstalker]

You didn't miss much on the BRBR MY son and I got the big fat skunk and nearly froze in the process.We were wishing we had stopped at the Smith park.
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[TheFishSlayer]

Hi Tin Can,

I'm on the Farr West Trails Committee. We've been out there planning that trail around the pond and putting in those exercise things. I joined the group late in the game after all of this had been planned out. But I also had the same question. Why can't we ice fish the pond? I can just about walk to it pond from my house. Especially if we can get the permission to put a trail along the canal.. different story. Anyways the answer I got was, "You wouldn't want to ice fish it. The ice won't get thick enough." I didn't question it because the rules are already made. But I am also fairly comfortable on 2.5-3 inches of ice as long as I have my floating suit. I'm not sure if those that made the rule were not ice fisherman or if DWR maybe recommended it. I don't fish alot of community ponds. Do they normally allow ice fishing?

I could bring it up again in our next meeting though.

Ryan
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[FatBiker]

Tin-Can, I fished it several times last fall with my flyrod. Dangled a balanced leech under a bobber. Fishing was pretty fast and furious for planters. Been meaning to get back this spring but haven't made it. Sure wish they'd allow my float tube on it.
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[Tin-Can]

Ryan, I don't ice fish so I have never given it much thought. I know in years past that the Roy Pond actually locked the access gates when there was ice present. Think maybe it is a liability issue. Not sure with the Smith Pond if they will ever have the method of locking up completely, especially with the new homes being built right across the street.
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[TheFishSlayer]

I too doubt they will lock it up. However it is now off limits after dark because the kids can't stop vandalizing things. Last year we had a bunch of the planted trees and brush along the edges ripped out, Then someone opened the damn and released a bunch of water, The bathrooms have been painted... I can only see that getting worse with houses going in across the street.
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[wiperhunter2]

When we got on it this Winter, it was plenty thick IMO. We did not walk over to the arator but had no problem getting one the ice.
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