Foster Pond under looser fishing rules

There are now looser fishing regulations for Foster Pond near Crawfordsville. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) made the announcement Thursday, and the new regulations go into effect today and will last through June 15.

Anglers with a valid fishing license will be allowed to harvest any size and number of fish from the pond. This includes bluegill, largemouth bass, channel catfish and crappies. There is also no limit to the number of fishing poles a person can have on the pond. However, anglers must remain in sight of these lines at all times.

Foster Pond is a 4-acre body of water that lies just off Highway 218 near the border between Washington and Henry counties. The purpose of the loose regulations is to allow anglers to more freely harvest fish before the pond is renovated later this summer.

The DNR wants to replace the kind of fish that inhabit the pond. It said in its press release that there are too many carp and bullheads in the pond. Those fish are degrading the water quality and preventing ?more desirable fish? species from thriving.

The pond now has an average depth of 8 feet, and will be lowered 1 or 2 feet during the renovation. The DNR said the fishery ?will be eliminated.? The DNR will place a metal cage over the drain-tube in the pond to prevent undesirable species from entering the stream.

The pond will receive new fish this fall. The normal fishing hours for Foster Pond, from 4:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., will remain in effect.

All other fishing regulations will remain in force as well. For instance, certain hooks are still prohibited such as grab hooks and snagging hooks, not to mention trotlines. Fishing nets are not allowed, and this includes seines, which are nets with weights on the bottom and flotation devices on the surface. However, landing nets may be used to land fish.

Traps, spears, and bows and arrows cannot be used for fishing. Firearms and dynamite are out of the question, as are any electric shocking devices, poisons or stupefying substances.

It is illegal to sell fish or stock captured fish in public waters. Sport fish can be stocked in private lakes and ponds.

Foster Pond is famous for being the site of the ?first official farm? in Washington County. According to the Washington County Conservation Board?s Web site, the land was first claimed by a man named Adam Ritchey in 1836. Ritchey survived the first winter in a makeshift lean-to, relying heavily on the kindness of American Indians.

Floyd and Pat Foster acquired the land in 1936. They dug a large hole near the timber, which eventually filled with water and provided great fishing.

In the early 1990s, the Department of Transportation expanded Highway 218 into a four-lane road near Crawfordsville. It needed dirt for the project, and got 12 acres of it from the Fosters? farm. The hole the DOT left behind filled with water and became the pond it is today.

In 2007, the Washington County Conservation Board purchased the 12 acres, including the 4-acre pond, from Thom and Connie Foster. At that time it was officially named ?Foster Pond? in honor of its former owners.