SPRING LAKE

[crappieking]

I live about 1 block away from spring lake park, and I take my boys down there to fish, the fishing is pretty good, but I have seen way too many people keeping way too many fish out of there.They stocked it for the KIDS a couple of years ago, they may build a pier in a couple of years, so lets try to keep the fish in there huh.We have plenty of other lakes to fish.

[ilovehardwater]

I agree, they should have the same rules as the Mill Pond in St.Peter, 15 or 16years or age to 65 years no fishing...BT

[250XB]

I think it is okay for kids to keep the fish as part of the experience of fishing but adult should leave it for the kids.

[crappieking]

I think it is okay for kids to keep the fish also, but not from a smalll pond like that. I take my kids there to fish all the time, but we never keep anything, and they seem to be just fine. They get the same experience keeping fish from a bigger lake.

[ol'popsy]

I do agree with all of you and thats what I did

I LET MY KIDS FISH.I was hoping people would

be wise enough to let just there kids fish it

but I guess I didnt make that clear enough

yesterday.I learnt a valuable lesson here and one that

wont be forgotten

[crappieking]

But a young child can't fish or keep fish without an adult present.If they can I would love to meet him or her,maybe they can teach me a thing or two about fishing. HA HA!

[gerty]

I am curious as to the size of the fish in this pond? I have a 5 year old who I would love to take down there to catch (not keep) fish. However, when we fished it this summer all the fish were about the size of a 50 cent piece. Are there nicer fish in there? Is any spot better than any others out there? It would be excellent to bring him there instead of taking the time to go all the way out to a lake and then not catch anything. As you know, at that age action is king else boredom sets in!!

[crappieking]

Yes there are some really nice crappies in their. The last couple of springs we have caught crappies that were easily 12 13 inches. Sunfish are pretty small though. As to where to fish,it seems to me and many others that the best spot is along the little "canal",but you have to stay on the pond side of the little bridge. That canal is easily 4 to 6 feet deep, we have caught alot of crappies just throwing tube jigs with no bait but sometimes bobber and minnow work well too.

[zepman]

Most of the fish (over 95%), in Spring Lake are exactly what you experienced last summer. Dinks. It is my understanding that a few larger fish were brought in here to get the population up and running again. I have fished and used this pond as much as anyone--my kids even more than I--and the notion of someone comming down there and catching 12-13 inch crappies consistantly,or at all, is just plain false. As you know, Spring Lake is really no larger than a football field, it's a pond, so the protection of that "brood" stock" is very important.

[gerty]

Zepman - That is what I figured. Thanks for the info. Sure hope enough of those bigger fish get left alone so that it continues to be a great place for the kids to have a good time.

[250XB]

It use to get stocked every year up to a few years ago as a kids fishing pond don't know if this is the case any more. I think the intent of kids fishing ponds are a put and take if they want for kids.

[crappieking]

It didn't start getting stocked until 4 springs ago after they dug it out,before than it was just carp,bullheads,little little sunnies and turtles,never got stocked.

[zepman]

I believe the real stocking efforts were just in the last 1-2 years. While they were dredging it out each winter they would draw it down to absolutely minimal amounts of water each fall to let the ground freeze so that the heavy equipment could get in there to dredge the middle portions of the pond. It would be hard to imagine any fish surviving that kind of drawdown in water levels before that. They finished dredging last winter.