CALDWELL, Idaho — Idaho Department of Fish and Game is renovating two Caldwell gravel ponds on Pond Lane just south of State Highway 20 in late August.
The five-year plan is to create one larger, deeper pond with fewer aquatic weeds and better fishing conditions.
During renovation, the ponds, trails, parking areas and the restroom will be closed to all public access.
Upon project completion, the pond will be 30 feet deep and 30 acres in size. The singular pond will be four times larger than the current ponds combined, which take up eight acres total.
"We're excited to see the long-term benefits of gravel removal at Caldwell Ponds," Fish and Game fisheries manager John Cassinelli said in a statement. "Anglers will have a much improved fishing experience when the renovated pond reopens."
The Caldwell gravel ponds sit on 40 acres that was purchased by Idaho Department of Fish and Game in 1951. It was opened as public fishing water two years later. Pond facilities were upgraded in 2007 and, officials say, more upgrades will follow after the completion of the gravel project.
Rainbow trout that normally end up in the Caldwell gravel ponds in October and November will be diverted to Manns Creek and Lucky Peak reservoirs.
In 2020 and beyond, those fish earmarked for Caldwell will be redistributed across other regional waters.
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