On MOORLAND Pond
When the trout are released, the anglers will fish; about 100 show up for DNR event at popular spot
MOORLAND — The 1,500 trout released by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources at Moorland Pond Saturday morning got quite a reception.
Well over 100 anglers, baited hooks at the ready in the water below holes drilled in the 12-inch thick ice, were ready.
The fish didn’t stand a chance.
Kevin Demery, of Duncombe, had one lying on the ice before anyone else.
“I’ve got one,” he said. “I got it before the truck got here.”
It may have been nearly the sole survivor from the last trout release. Fishing for trout is popular on Moorland Pond. The DNR releases the fish so that people can catch them.
Demery was having good luck in only a few inches of water below the ice. Jigs with wax worms were bringing the fish up fast and furious.
His catch for the day was eventually destined for the table.
“We like to smoke them,” he said. “It’s almost like salmon.”
The trout release was conducted as Webster County Conservation hosted an Ice Fishing Clinic on the ice to teach novice anglers about the sport.
Naturalist Karen Hansen and other staff were on hand.
“We’re covering some ice safety, basic ice fishing techniques and helping the kids have some fun fishing,” she said.
They brought along a selection of reels, baits, lures, and even had a warming fire going on shore in a metal fire pit.
While Hansen and the county conservation staff helped get the young anglers fishing, some of them enjoyed themselves sliding around on the ice.
Ice sliding can be hard to compete with.
“It’s a toss up,” Hansen joked.
Ben Wallace, a fish biologist with the DNR, said the crowd gathered to enjoy the trout was the largest one he’s seen to date at Moorland Pond.
He attributed some of that to the nice weather, but said most of the credit goes to Webster County Conservation for not only promoting the event, but having its staff on hand to host the Ice Fishing Clinic.
“This is what we look for,” Wallace said. “Other organizations to partner with. Conservation boards have always been a good fit.”
The event was also a good fit for some local groups such as Cub Scout Pack 42 from Prairie Valley Elementary in Farnhamville.
Tyler Nitch, of Gowrie, and his son, Drake Nitch, 7, were among them.
Drake Nitch caught his first trout shortly after the stocking began. He proudly posed for a photo while his dad helped him hold onto the slippery, wriggling fish.
While he did enjoy catching them, a previous angling experience seemed to hold the best of it in his memories.
“The one that was the size of me was better,” he said.
So what sort of monster lunker did he catch?
“It was a carp,” Tyler Nitch said.
In order to fish for or possess trout, Iowa residents and nonresidents must pay a trout fee in addition to their regular fishing license. The daily limit is five. Anglers under 16 may fish with a licensed angler with a trout fee; the limit is five fish for both. Anglers under 16 also have the option of purchasing the trout fee and a fishing license which will let them possess five trout and fish on their own.