Urban waters: DWR-stocked ponds lure fishermen closer to home

The problem, as short as a decade ago, wasn't so much that there were no fish to catch. It was more that the available fish weren't easy to reach.

Fishermen had to drive, sometimes great distances, to throw a worm-threaded hook into fish-laden waters.

What waters there were within city limits, called urban fisheries, held few fish and drew fewer fishermen.

That has changed. Within Utah there are 44 urban fishing waters and more scheduled to open within the next year. Each of those waters is getting a generous dose of fish on a regular schedule.

And, according to on-site surveys, people are successfully fishing these waters.

"On any one day, the total number of anglers fishing any one of the urban waters can be upwards of 120 to 150," said Andrew Cushing, urban program director for the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources.

When Cushing first took over the program six years ago there were 19 so-called urban fisheries. Those waters, however, were planted very infrequently, "maybe once or twice a summer. There just wasn't much emphasis put on these waters. But what was really missing was community involvement."

At first, he said, he had trouble figuring out what direction to go. It was a DWR program that was more or less left on its own to either succeed or die.

It was obvious, however, that there was an interest. Periodic fishing events held at some of these waters were well attended. Kids by the hundreds, accompanied by parents and grandparents, would show up and wait patiently for their turn to fish. For many it was a new experience.

It was these programs and promise of a steady flow of fish, he noted, that caught the attention of various community leaders.

"It was a struggle those first years," he recalled. "It seemed like an impossible task. After talking and working with the various communities, we came up with a plan to get them involved ... and they responded. They found the ponds and the volunteers and introduced all of this to the people."

Now, Cushing said he's gone from actively being involved in the early phases of organization and construction, "to being more of an adviser. Communities are coming to us now and asking to get involved in the program."

Now, the program is positioned to move to the next level, which means going to year-round involvement.

"Officials from the city of Washington saw the number of people fishing ponds along the Wasatch Front and decided they wanted to get involved," he said.

"They want to run a 12-month youth program. I think once other communities see how successful this program will be, it will spread statewide."