Stormwater Retention Basins Provide Places to Fish in Cary

Jerry Pearson, a resident of Cary, said he’s been fishing the same pond in town for about eight years. 

“I sometimes use a fly rod here,” Pearson said. “But a bobber is easier.  It’s too shallow for a fly. 

"I use artificial bait and I release what I catch," he added. “There are plenty of largemouth bass in here, too."

He’d been there about 20 minutes Monday afternoon and caught a half-dozen bluegill. 

Pearson was fishing at the stormwater retention basin north of the intersection of Cimarron Drive and Cary-Algonquin Road, which is one of several places to fish in the area within walking distance of one another.

He was concentrating on the task at hand, suffering interruptions from his cell phone, answering questions asked by a pesky Patch reporter.

A recent flap regarding the city of Crystal Lake denying residents in neighboring Lake in the Hills free access to Three Oaks Recreation Area, a fisherman’s paradise, caused quite a stir in the local media.

Perhaps some Cary residents sensed a precedent being set and got their hopes up when .

Like Three Oaks, many ponds in Cary are man made.

But the ponds in Cary were designed as stormwater storage. 

Three Oaks is the remnants of a 500-acre gravel pit that has an epic scope about it that is a draw to many anglers.

Stocking fish in stormwater retention basins in town surely provides recreation for residents, but it also is a measure that helps reduce the number of mosquitoes.

“Minnows eat mosquito larvae,” said Dan Jones, executive director of the .  

Jones said the district stocks the basins at and , and the pond at .

The Park District partners with the for its stocking program.