New fishing pond opens in Idaho Falls

The following is a news release from the city of Idaho Falls.

IDAHO FALLS — The City of Idaho Falls Parks & Recreation Department will officially open the second fishing pond at Ryder Park on Thurs. September 7 at 11:00 a.m. The media and public are invited to join officials as the first fish are stocked by the Idaho Department of Fish and Game.

The second pond was added at Ryder Park, located at 2001 W. Sunnyside Road, in response to significant demand on the first pond, Becker Pond, which has seen more than 28,000 hours of angling activities a year.

“That’s a lot of activity – about half of what nearby Ririe Reservoir gets in an entire year,” states Dan Garren, Regional Fisheries Manager, Idaho Department of Fish and Game, Upper Snake Regional Office.

“To put that in perspective, if you were an angler and you fished for 28,000 hours, it would take you over 13 years to fish that long, if you put in a 40-hour week of fishing. To say Becker Pond is popular is probably an understatement for a single acre of fishable water.”

Each year, the Idaho Department of Fish and Game stocks slightly more than 7,000 fish at Becker Pond. Anglers reported catching 16,000 fish, more than the total number stocked. This is possible as anglers release two fish for every one harvested, which allows those fish to then be caught again by other anglers.

“Busy families cannot always get away to visit mountain streams and lakes for an outdoor fishing experience,” Idaho Falls Mayor Rebecca Casper stated. “I am very pleased our city can provide easy access to this kind of outdoor experience right here in Idaho Falls. These kinds of activities build families and create memories.”

To provide a family fishing experience, both ponds will continue to be heavily stocked, allowing kids and adults a greater chance of catching fish. This approach allows unfettered help from parents/grandparents while allowing families to engage in the sport.

“We continue to stock approximately 7,000 fish in Becker Pond, starting in April and going through October of each year. Our hope is that by having expanded water available for fishing, the expansion will help alleviate some of the crowding issues we’ve seen,” adds Garren.

In an effort to conserve City of Idaho Falls water and improve the natural fish habitat, a pump station project was also completed with the addition of the new pond. Two pumps were installed to fill and cool both ponds with water from the Snake River. The water then flows back into the river.
The pump station project, which pumps 3,600 gallons of water per minute, was completed by 3H Construction and American Pump of Rexburg.

A $54,500 inlets and outlets project to connect the two ponds, installed and built by the City of Idaho Falls Parks Division and the construction company Knife River, was also completed. Half of the project was paid for through a $25,000 Idaho Fish and Game donation.

For additional information about fishing clinics, the ponds and the master plan for Ryder Park, residents and visitors are encouraged to visit the City of Idaho Falls Department of Parks and Recreation online or on Facebook.