Fargo's recreation director wants to create a fishing pond in one of the city's newer housing developments, but North Dakota's Game and Fish Department has yet to take the bait.
Clay Whittlesey has proposed that a water retention pond in southwest Fargo's Woodhaven development be stocked with trout or bluegills to provide education and recreation opportunities, particularly for children. Whittlesey said he's been working with the Game and Fish Department for the past two years and hopes the pond can be stocked this spring.
"It would be neat to have something like this in Fargo," he said.
But Lynn Schlueter, a fisheries biologist based in Devils Lake, said that while the proposal has generated a lot of internal discussion at Game and Fish, the department is not ready to OK it.
Game and Fish would provide the fish and could help with the project's funding. Most of it would be paid for through the Fargo Parks Department's general fund. The department's budget has $5,000 set aside, Whittlesey said.
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The Red and Sheyenne rivers already provide terrific recreational fishing opportunities that are under-utilized by Fargo residents, Schlueter said. The Game and Fish Department has heavily promoted the Red River as a top fishery for channel catfish for years.
"Do we have other systems already that will serve the same purpose?" Schlueter said. "Duplication is OK, if you have the second dollar to pay for it."
The pond is triangle-shaped, covers about one-third of an acre and is 14 feet deep. Whittlesey would like to install a small fishing pier and allow non-motorized boats or float tubes.
A fishing pond would give the recreation department a place to hold its "Great Outdoors" fly fishing and ice fishing classes, Whittlesey said.
It would also be a place to teach children the basics of fishing.
The pond would likely be catch-and-release or have other special regulations to limit the number of fish people could keep.
"The whole concept is education and kids," Whittlesey said.
Small fishing ponds are common in North Dakota towns. Casselton Reservoir and Mooreton Pond near Wahpeton are two small lakes stocked by the Game and Fish Department. Some ponds have come under criticism because fish are difficult to catch in them and they can't sustain fish populations due to poor water quality or low oxygen levels.
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Most ponds require yearly stocking.
Whittlesey said poor water quality in a retention pond could be an issue with the Woodhaven project.
Whittlesey sent a letter to the Game and Fish Department Jan. 9 asking for a prompt response to his proposal. Fargo could pursue private stocking and go ahead without Game and Fish, he said.
"The question is, where can we have the most impact?" Schlueter said. "It's been discussed internally. I wish I had an answer. But it has helped the department take a closer look and re-evaluate what we want to do in these situations. That's always good."
Readers can reach Forum reporter Mike McFeely at (701) 241-5580
