Colorado Parks and Wildlife plans to empty Poudre Ponds for repairs. What happens to the fish when they do?

Juan Jiminez enjoys his time at the Poudre Ponds during a fish salvage. Photo by Dan England.

By Dan England

Juan Jiminez comes to Poudre Ponds for the peace. The fish are a bonus.

 Jiminez, 47, of Greeley works the graveyard shift stocking shelves at Kings Soopers. He loves to unwind after work at the pond, so much so that he rarely changes out of his khakis. The pond, in fact, seemed to be the only respite from the coronavirus, as he adjusted to his own fears, a broken economy and wearing an uncomfortable mask for hours at work. 

But he had fish on his mind when he drove over to the popular Greeley pond on Sunday morning as a fresh sun crept up the sky. He had just gotten back from a honeymoon, where fishing was discouraged, so he was eager to cast a line, and he read on Facebook that Colorado Parks and Wildlife had an emergency fish salvage. The declaration banishes bag limits, meaning he could take home as much as he wanted. He enjoys eating the fish in the pond, which include bass, bluegill, catfish and trout, but he also donates it to others who could use a meal. 

When he pulled up Sunday, he found a crowd of anglers who circled the pond, socially distanced but as crowded as he’d ever seen it. The fishing trip was not as successful as he would have liked. Ah, well. Monday morning wasn’t much better, either, when the only thing he caught was some algae. But it WAS peaceful again. 

“I thought I would beat the crowd, being out here early on a Sunday morning,” Jiminez said Monday, “but they beat me. That’s OK. I’ve had an awesome time fishing out here. I’ve really enjoyed the outdoors lately, especially with everything going on.”

Fish salvages are rare treats for anglers since they can catch as much as they’d like, even if they come with the unfortunate price of losing a favorite fishing hole for a while. Greeley needs to drain the pond to make sudden, unplanned repairs to a broken intake pump. The city will drain the pond all the way down to the dirt. 

The idea is to use all the fish in the pond, and with that in mind, Colorado Parks and Wildlife may also knock out some of the fish with electric rods and take them to other popular Weld County fishing spots, said Jason Clay, spokesman for the northeast region. They may do that once water levels get unsafe for anglers. The city will determine when that will be, but the salvage should be open for at least another week. 

“They won’t want people getting stuck in the mud,” Clay said, “so we will take what we can when that happens. We want as little waste as possible.”

Colorado Parks and Wildlife and the city worked together to develop the pond, located at O Street and 35th Avenue, from a reclaimed mining site more than a decade ago, even letting it sit for a couple years so the vegetation and ecosystem had a chance to mature before stocking it with fish that were both good eating and good fun to catch. The pond now acts as an oasis among mining operations and a nice place to take a break from a trip on the Poudre Trail, which winds around it as it flows east or west, depending on your destination. 

Juan Jiminez spends time fishing at Poudre Ponds before Colorado Parks and Wildlife drains the water to make repairs. Photo by Dan England.

“Once we get water back in the pond we are going to work to rebuild the fishery immediately,” said Brandon Muller, district wildlife officer for a region that includes Greeley, in a press release. “It is a very popular place residents enjoy fishing at, and we will work to get them a new and improved fishery once repair work is complete.”

That will start on March 31, 2021 when the city begins filling the pond again. Clay didn’t have a stocking schedule yet, but the state will start that spring. It will take time for the fishing pond to get back to where it was, and that depends on whether the state plans to put itty-bitty fish in at first or start with a bit bigger. Anglers should probably count on a couple years before it gets good again, Clay said. 

Greeley’s salvage comes on the heels of another at Jumbo Reservoir in Julesburg. This one is related to the summer’s severe drought, as irrigation needs have drained it nearly dry. That salvage may end soon, as the boat ramp closed Wednesday. And another one, because of the drought, should take place soon at Barr Lake, although the details for that haven’t been worked out yet. 

Jiminez understands that work has to be done, and although he’s sad to lose his favorite spot, he’s already planning to head to Carter Lake in Loveland and other places for fall fishing, when hopes are high for some trophy trout.

“Just being out here is more than anything I can ask for,” Jiminez said. 

For more information, seek out the various social media platforms used by the Colorado Parks and Wildlife. The northeast Colorado region for Colorado Parks and Wildlife on Twitter will keep you up to date, although Facebook is also recommended. 

There are a few rules to follow if you want to participate in the salvage:

• Bag limits are suspended only at Poudre Ponds.

• Fishing is allowed only during daylight hours, from sunrise to a half-hour after sunset. 

• You must have a fishing license. 

• All legal methods are allowed except for snagging, dip nets and seines.

• The City of Greeley will close the pond when water levels are deemed unsafe.