Geneva Cooling Ponds

[trollboy8]

Are there any fish actually in the cooling ponds? If so, what kinds and how do you fish them?
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]The short answer is YES, there are fish in those ponds. They are spring fed, the water turns over and they are no longer the chemical soup they used to be. Over the years they have been stocked by many anglers who tossed in fish they caught out of Utah Lake. That includes carp, white bass, channels and mud cats. Not sure about piranhas or alligators.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I have never witnessed anyone fishing in the lakes but I have seen carp finning on the surface and splashing around the shoreline during spawning time. Don't know what the potential population of any given species might be. If there is a food source, the fish will survive. Otherwise, who knows?[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]As far as I know there has never been a netting survey or any formal sampling. Maybe we should have an official BFT tournament to check it out. [/#0000ff]
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[iconoclasticPaul]

Yes there are fish in there... last time the ponds drained about a year and half or two, there were tons of carp right in front of the spring pipes, slithering and slathering in what water there was left. I didn't see other kinds of fish though... Now it's full, and the possibility remains that there might be other kinds in there. Especially LMB...
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[UTBASS]

Paul, where have you been?!

Let's go fishing bro!
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[iconoclasticPaul]

Yo Clif, I've been extremely busy with school, Utah Valley State, with 16 credits 5 classes. Juggling family, job all at the same time. Incredibly busy... I've been looking at Utah Lake with longing eyes, and want to fish, but priorities takes place (sighs). Last summer I was unable to fish much, only took my boat out maybe 6 times, because I was busy fixing up our house for sale, and finally sold in August, and then we had to move in, and school started for the fall semester. Hardly any time for myself.

I am now into my waning days... magical number is 16, So 16 more days til graduation with a degree in Behavioral Science with emphasis on Psychology! That will be the best time of my life, and go fish all summer long!

After my weekend-long grad party, I will be taking my boat out and fish my brains out, and I will call you in Lindon Harbor!
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[trollboy8]

It's good to know that there are fish there. Access seems much easier to the cooling ponds than to the Lake shore there. Also, with all the reeds in the cooling ponds, it just looks like good LMB habitat. Mostly, I just didn't want to look like an idiot throwing my line into a pond that is known to have no fish and for my very short afternoon trips to the lake, I would like to avoid paying the entrance fee to the harbor. Anyone else have info on the cooling ponds?
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[cat_man]

Hey trollboy, I allegedly might know someone who allegedly did their part to toss in many white bass and mudcats into those cooling ponds from the Utah Lake side of the bubble up! [angelic][][cool]

That was allegedly over a decade ago, though, and who knows how they might have survived. I have seen hundreds and hundreds of carp in there though for sure. They sometimes are slurping the surface in mass in the early morning during summer. I never could get any to be interested in worms though.

A wad of bread or bread dough might be just what they'll take though. If you try it out, good or bad make sure to post up a report.
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[trollboy8]

I could possibly try. I may have seen an individual, fitting a description similar to my own, allegedly ducking under the gate that says, "No Trespassing" who then walked along the south bank of the cooling ponds allegedly scoping out some spots to possibly think about fishing there. If I see this individual again and he or she does or does not catch any fish down there, I will most likely post an anonymous report--maybe.[]
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[cat_man]

Hey troll don't worry abou the sign. People have been ducking under that gate and walking down to the lake shore for decades with no problem. I even asked a Geneva Steel guy about it when the plant was still running and they said basically they didn't want people messing with the equipment or the pond, but that you could walk down the road to fish the lake. The DWR even had a sign posted halfway down the road by the little building that stated walleye regulations on it.

Now that Geneva is gone, I'd say the ponds are fair game too.
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