Fishing hole opens Saturday

Come this weekend fishing fanatics won't have to drive far to get their fix. Eager anglers can cast their first hook Saturday at Carson City's own fishing hole, the Fuji Park Pond located at the fairgrounds in south Carson City.

The Clear Creek-fed manmade pond is one acre in size and approximately 15 feet deep. It will be stocked with trout by the Nevada Department of Wildlife in advance of the Saturday grand opening.

Nearly a decade of planning and fundraising went into the effort to bring Carson City its first urban fishing hole.

Local conservation activist Kevin "C.K." Baily rallied approximately 55 individuals, organizations and government entities to the idea of an urban fishing pond at Fuji Park.

"Without C.K. Baily and his determination to see this project through, the Fuji Park Pond never would have happened," NDOW Fisheries Chief Mark Warren said in a news release.

The pond's excavation began in the fall of 2009 and was completed in June 2010.

New vegetation was planted this past spring and summer and is now mature enough to withstand the expected increase in traffic to the pond when it opens to fishing.

The total cost for the pond project is approximately $764,664 - $450,000 of which came from NDOW and the statewide Question 1 Bond Initiative designed in part to enhance recreational opportunities related to wildlife.

Carson City contributed property, nearly $40,000 from the general fund account, water rights on Clear Creek, and ongoing maintenance of the facility. Other funding was acquired through grants and donations.

"Urban fishing ponds are a great way to serve our public," said Ken Mayer, director of the Nevada Department of Wildlife. "Carson City needed such a place to fish and now it has one. We are always on the lookout for more opportunities to make the great sport of fishing more accessible to the public."