From Deseret News archives:
Touching nature — Syracuse park offers urban fishing, trails, wetlands
Joe and Shantelle Soto of Clearfield brought their poles and bait to the park for a Friday night family fishing trip earlier this summer.
"It's just an awesome place for kids, families, even for me if I want to come by myself," Joe Soto said of the park.
He and his three children, Jazmine, 9, Joe, 7, and Izaiah, 3, were fishing on the bank near one of the pond's six bridges.
The park is only five minutes away from the Sotos' home. They have fished there more than once. Joe Soto said that good experiences at the pond keep bringing them back.
"On our last trip (Jazmine) caught two fish," he added. "One of which was 21 inches long."
Brett Eggett and C.J. Goodwin of Syracuse also have had success at the pond.
"In the spring we had a ball down here," Goodwin said, adding that they caught as many as 20 fish a day.
In July, the two men were using chicken livers and shrimp as lures for the pond's channel catfish.
"We just love to fish," Goodwin said.
The pond is stocked with several kinds of fish, including channel catfish, small-mouth bass, bluegill and rainbow trout in the spring and fall months. The pond falls under the Division of Wildlife Resources regulations; therefore fishers must have a valid license and the daily possession limit is four fish.
Also, people can use their floatation devices at the pond by city permit only, and there is no swimming, bathing or wading in the water.
Eggett said the manmade pond doesn't compare to other natural ponds or lakes they have fished, but it is still fun to have access to a fishing spot close to home.
"It's nice to be able to go somewhere where you don't have to travel a long way," he added.
Shantelle Soto said the park's landscaping makes it feel real.
"I like that even though it's created, it still feels so natural," she said.
The pond and its surroundings are all manmade, including the one-acre stretch of wetland and spawning bed habitat on its southwest side.
Mike Waite, Syracuse Public Works director, said that the Division of Wildlife Resources dug the pond. Then it had to be lined and 1 foot of material — dirt and rocks were placed on top of the lining before the area was filled with water.
After 3 1/2 years of planning and construction, the 20-acre park was completed in September 2006. Waite said the park's construction was funded by grants, local money and donated labor. He said several local youths and other groups helped work to get the park done.
Waite said it was built with two goals in mind.
