CHEYENNE – The Wyoming Game and Fish Department has partnered with Laramie County Community College (LCCC) to create a new community fishing pond on the LCCC Cheyenne campus. Together, Game and Fish and LCCC invite you to a public meeting on April 24 to discuss plans for the project. The meeting will be held in room 109 of the Clay Pathfinder building on the LCCC campus at 6 p.m.
The location for the project is the “Pasture Pond”, located on the north side of the LCCC Cheyenne campus. The Pasture Pond was enrolled as a Walk-In Fishing Area in 2022 to allow public fishing access. Past fisheries surveys showed the pond contains black bullhead, black crappie, common carp, fathead minnow, yellow perch, and a growing goldfish population originating from an illegal pet release. This combination of species resulted in poor fishing opportunities with many fish exhibiting slow growth and undesirable species such as goldfish occurring at high abundance.
Field surveys were completed in 2022 and 2023 to assess the Pasture Pond's potential to host a sport fishery. Game and Fish fisheries biologists are proposing to create a largemouth bass and bluegill fishery in this location.
“We found that the long-term water temperatures in the Pasture Pond are well-suited for largemouth bass and bluegill,” said Stephen Siddons, Game and Fish fisheries biologist in Laramie. “Bass and bluegill are popular sportfish that give great fishing opportunities to both new and experienced anglers. We think these species will create a fun community fishery.”
Before building this new fishery, rotenone will be applied to remove fish currently occupying the pond. Rotenone is a naturally derived product that is lethal to organisms with gills. It has been used by fish managers for decades to remove undesirable fish species and it is not harmful to humans or livestock. Using rotenone to remove the fish currently occupying the pond will allow the best chance for largemouth bass and bluegill to survive, grow, and produce quality fishing opportunities.
The rotenone project is planned for August 2024, and fish stocking will occur in late 2024 and 2025. The logistics of this project, and how rotenone will be used, will be presented at the public meeting.
“We are excited to pursue this project with LCCC and provide a new, local fishing opportunity for the Cheyenne community,” said Siddons. “Adding a fishing pond in south Cheyenne will make fishing more accessible to many residents, and we appreciate the support of LCCC in working towards this goal.”
Improving community fishing access in Cheyenne has been a priority for Game and Fish and many partners. In addition to the LCCC project, the Laramie County Conservation District recently finished constructing a new pond in the Cheyenne Business Parkway Natural Area that will be stocked with bluegill and largemouth bass over the next year. These two new fishing ponds will join Sloans Lake and Lake Absarraca to increase fishing opportunities for the City of Cheyenne.
Please contact Caroline Rosinski, Laramie Region Public Information Specialist, with any questions at caroline.rosinski@wyo.gov
