New Fish Ponds in the Treasure Valley

Two new fishing holes are now open and waiting to tempt Treasure Valley anglers. In early October, Fish and Game added Redwood Park pond and Eagle Island State Park pond to its urban trout stocking program. As with other Boise-area ponds, Redwood and Eagle Island will be stocked with catchable rainbow trout about every two weeks through the fall, winter and spring months. "In addition to fishing opportunities, both ponds are great places for families to picnic and spend quality time together," Fish and Game fisheries manager Jeff Dillon said. "Both the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation and Boise Parks and Recreation deserve praise for making these ponds available to Fish and Game for inclusion in the urban trout stocking program." Redwood Park, managed by Boise Parks and Recreation, is one of the newer neighborhood parks in west Boise. It is located off Ustick Road between Five Mile and Cloverdale. Turn south on Wildwood, then right on Ardyce. In addition to trout, the pond is home to largemouth bass and bluegill stocked by Fish and Game this past summer. "The warm water fish population will eventually be self-sustaining if anglers are willing to release most of them right now," Dillon noted. "If you want to take fish home for dinner, I'd encourage people to focus on the hatchery trout until the bass and bluegill become established." The pond at Eagle Island State Park was recently re-opened to fishing, and plans call for keeping the park open through the winter. Normal park hours and entrance fees will remain in effect, and access to portions of the pond's shoreline may be restricted to protect grass and other vegetation. Like the pond at Redwood Park, Eagle Island pond has a solid population of bass and bluegill to complement the regular rainbow trout stocking effort.