04-11-2010, 12:46 PM
I've never fished there but if there are no fish being harvested and there was originally a well established population of crappie, they may be getting out of hand. I saw many ponds in my home state of Oklahoma where private land owners introduced crappie when the water they owned was rarely fished. The results were typically a ridiculously fast catch rate of 3 to 5 inch crappie. I have also seen them literally starving to death from over-population.
Utah ponds are different in that the water levels around here tend to fluctuate dramatically since this is the second driest state in the nation. This prevents good spawning habitat for crappie in drought years and also gives them little submerged cover from larger predators. This can keep their numbers in check enough to promote a decent population of larger crappie, but it can also get them virtually wiped out some years. Another thing to consider is that really hot summers or really cold winters in a dry year can cause large fish kills.
I don't know anything about the 21st street pond, but my guess is it isn't worth sneaking in to fish if it's closed to the public, especially if it was managed like the other community ponds around here. No planted brush or other fishy cover = poor fishing for warm water species. Those places are only fun to visit right after they stock trout or catfish and they get hauled out too fast for the DWR to keep up with the demand. For any of you other folks reading this, use lures and flies and let the trout go back in the pond for the kids and the elderly, no matter how big they are. That's what cameras are for.[
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Utah ponds are different in that the water levels around here tend to fluctuate dramatically since this is the second driest state in the nation. This prevents good spawning habitat for crappie in drought years and also gives them little submerged cover from larger predators. This can keep their numbers in check enough to promote a decent population of larger crappie, but it can also get them virtually wiped out some years. Another thing to consider is that really hot summers or really cold winters in a dry year can cause large fish kills.
I don't know anything about the 21st street pond, but my guess is it isn't worth sneaking in to fish if it's closed to the public, especially if it was managed like the other community ponds around here. No planted brush or other fishy cover = poor fishing for warm water species. Those places are only fun to visit right after they stock trout or catfish and they get hauled out too fast for the DWR to keep up with the demand. For any of you other folks reading this, use lures and flies and let the trout go back in the pond for the kids and the elderly, no matter how big they are. That's what cameras are for.[
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