An oasis in the desert. A rare secluded spot in a busy city. A local slice of angler heaven of sorts away from boat ramps, Jet Skis and long travel times other fishing spots represent.
All of this can be used to describe a small pond in Garland local anglers have been fishing for years. But new development threatens to take it away.
“I went down to the pond a couple of weeks ago when they first started draining it and it was a nightmare,” said Cody Waddle, a Garland resident and long-time angler on the pond. “Seeing the pond drained, it just killed me. I’ve fished it for almost eight years now. My very first fish out of it. I was 11 or 12, and about my second or third cast I caught a 4- to 5-pound largemouth.”
The pond was never big to begin with, covering maybe an acre or two. According to anglers like Waddle who have contacted management, the supposed plan is to drain and deepen the pond before adding a retaining wall around the perimeter. But for anglers like Waddle who grew up fishing the pond, worries are that it won’t be the same.
“The thing is, this pond has been there forever; at least 30 years or so,” Waddle said. “My parents, when they first got together, would walk over and fish it 20 years ago. I used to take my little cousins down there, and that’s where I taught them how to bass fish. I took my girlfriend and taught her, too. And it’s where she took her first bass.”
Another angler, who requested to remain anonymous, also expressed his disappointment with the construction’s effect on the pond.
“It sucks,” he said. “They’re getting rid of a hidden gem. I used to wear them out down here, and now it just takes away a place to fish. There’s not many places like this in the city.”
Waddle said he has caught everything from bass up to 7 pounds, a 3-pound red-bellied pacu, and a 50-pound carp.
“It just hurts my feelings quite a bit,” he said. “Hopefully, they will restock it. I’m definitely going to miss this place.”
