We have three beautiful ponds (2 in the front of the neighborhood and 1 in the back). All are stocked with fish and fishing is permitted for residents only.
Please note: Do not drop fish caught offsite into the ponds! There is now an issue with our fish because someone has added Crappie from off-site to our ponds.
Crappie fish in a small environment like ours (and even in larger ponds/lakes) are prolific in spawning and can overwhelm other fish in the area...especially Bass and Catfish (exactly what we have stocked in the front ponds). Crappie fish are active in winter and spawn earlier than other fish. Because they spawn first, they are ready to eat the spawn of our other fish (Bass and Catfish spawn later in the season). Because the spawning of our stocked fish is interrupted, eventually our stock of fish will die out through this lack of reproduction success.
For those of you unaware, the two front ponds are connected for drainage purposes through a culvert under Kelly Ridge Boulevard. Thus, what is in one pond, is in the other also (eventually).
So, because we now have a population of Crappie in the front ponds, we are asking that if you are fishing in the front ponds and catch one, please take it home and enjoy your catch--they are considered to be one of the best tasting freshwater fish, with a flaky white flesh. Please google what a Crappie looks like. A photo was in the email sent to residents. Neighborhood policy of catch and release for Bass and Catfish is still in place.
If you happen to see anyone dropping off their catch in our ponds, please ask them to not do it. Despite the best of intentions, this might be an expensive solution to fix.
Please enjoy your fishing...