Housing areas with water containment ponds

Here where I live theres new housing areas going up all over the place, turn your head and theres a new housing area.

The DNR here has passed a regulation that whenever theres a new houseing area going in the contractor has to build a containment pond or small lake depending on how much concrete is going to be draining. You get a 4 or 5 acre new build and the water comes off the roofs, streets and wherever and drains into these containment ponds. I got to fish one of those ponds today with my son and we brought home a 5 gallon bucket of very nice 8″ to 9″ bluegills, nice crappies a few 2 too 4 lb. catfish and even a few nice bass my boy wanted to keep and eat.

A lady that lives in one of the houses there gave permission to my boy to fish there and he explained that keeping some of the fish keeps the pond from stunting and she didn’t know that and told him to have at it because no one fishes it and try to take any garbage with him.

Theres alot of containment ponds that have been going in for the last 5 or so years here and Id bet most if not all hold fish. Another fishing resource, and it doesn’t hurt to stop and ask anyone in the housing area for permission. This pond had a no trespassing sign up and when my boy was driving through looking for permission this lady said its just to keep the partiers out and keep the pond clean, check one out sometime.

Nice find!

Question – how do the fish get into these ponds? Are they connected through drainage to a river or lake?

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Question – how do the fish get into these ponds? Are they connected through drainage to a river or lake?

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x2 on the question.

We also have them in the area we live in. but most of them are fenced in. I am assuming to keep children out and possibly drowning.

Nice job on the fish.

FDR

It varies by location, but often the adjoining properties will have a lake association of some sort and will have the fish stocked. Southern WI is plastered with them from all the sub divisions that have gone up, as well as many commercial builds.

Some are more proof that our feathered friends transport fertilized eggs. We have a few ponds near by here that were never stocked. Over the last 10 + years, fish started to show up in these. Others have been “stocked” naturally during floods. When these tiny creeks that feed the rivers flood out, its amazing how many fish migrate up. Last year, I stopped and watched gills, pike, bass, and carp cross the road where about 3″ of water was flooded over it. Some of these fish will migrate into these retention ponds.

I don’t believe you should just ask any resident of the complex for permission, but you should probably ask the property manager, the head of the homeowners association, or a board member. I don’t believe just being a resident gives you authority to decide who uses the ponds.

I’m pretty sure Dfresh this one is stocked. I don’t know who stocked it but the drop in elevation from the pond to the river a few miles away is too much of a drop for the water to get deep enough for fish to come up from the river. A dead give away is the White Amiere carp that keeps the pond from chocking with weeds and their atleast 3′ long right now. Plus theres yellow belly bullheads in it and the ones we got were pushing 12 inches.

Randy do you know anything about the Wisconsin DNR being involved in any regulations of the building of these ponds where your from. I think its a very good idea to make these ponds. I’m not sure exactly what they do besides keep the river from filing with sediment, but theres very little sediment coming off of rooftops, concrete roads and driveways. Ducks and geese were coming and going all day. Theres no cat tails or lillypads or any kind of cover for ducks and geese to nest in because its completely surrounded by rocks and the amount of largemouths in this pond the ducklings wouldn’t make it very long anyway.

Plus what was nice is theres a few weeping willows around the pond and no other trees. Cedar Rapids where I live has a local ordinance that you can’t plant a weeping willow in your yard, even though its your yard, now whats the sense in that, their pretty trees but someone probably bitched about it and they passed that law, braindead stupid if you ask me. I can see not being able to plant a Walnut tree next to the curb but a weeping willow in your own yard, it was nice just too be able to sit underneath one and watch the limbs blow back and forth with the breeze.

Munchy its not that type of housing area like a condo area, its low key and theres probably no localized rules except the residents have to mow their lawns.

The lady that gave my son permission was walking around with her Pitbull pulling a small wagon with a cooler in it and asked my son if he wanted a swig and was in her 70’s he thought, he said no.

Naaaa she seemed to be on the up and up and was walking her small dog. A few cars and trucks from the people who live there drove by and waved and a couple were walking and said hello so we took it as it was ok to fish there and the lady probably knew what she was talking about anyway that gave my boy permission.

Eggs hitch hiking on birds legs, mebbe? Be careful with this line of thinking, the “pros” will claim someone probably stocked the pond. Right, Jack?
As for that monkey business about the size, if you just take the big ones or bother them while they are guarding the nest, the wimps will prevail, stunting is certain and
extensive research shows the average size goes down. But thanks anyway, lady, for working with the kid.

It must be an older pond PDl because my sons friend got a 7 lb largemouth a few days ago and turned it loose so it must not be a recent build. My boys fish were around 15″ too 17″ and took home 5 useing a PopR in silver and blue, their killer on smallmouths.