Hundreds turn out for pond dedication/free fishing day

They lined the banks of the pond by the dozens Saturday – kids casting a fishing line with Dad or Mom at their side.

By all accounts the free fishing day and pond dedication event at the Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area visitor center Saturday was a huge success, with more than 200 people enjoying a perfect day of fishing, relaxing and food.

The event was twofold in nature. The day began with the dedication of the refurbished pond with the National Park Service, Wyoming Game and Fish Dept. and Bairco Construction joining forces in recent months to turn the former reflecting/nature pond into a fishing pond for families. And second, the event kicked off the summer season with a day of free fishing for kids and adults alike. Game and Fish fishing regulations apply from here on out.

What started months ago as a federal project to refurbish the pond and replace the liner turned into much more when Devin and Stacy Bair of Bairco Construction decided to turn what was initially a reflecting pond constructed 50 years ago for the former solar-powered visitor center into a fishing pond for families. The solar power source didn’t work out well, but the pond did serve as a natural setting with a walking path behind the visitor center.

The project started as a standard federal contract to refurbish the pond and replace the liner. Once Bairco won the bid, the community-oriented company offered to enhance the project – and the pond – by digging it deeper so it could be stocked with fish and used as a community fishing pond.

Bairco’s work included installing fish habitat friendly features like tree roots and concrete blocks for fish to hide in and rows of rock along the banks as places for fish to lay eggs. Bairco also improved the grounds around the pond, refurbished the irrigation/sprinkler system at the site, upgraded the water system, replaced sidewalk and poured concrete pads for picnic tables. 

The pond was drained late last fall, and after the work was completed, the pond was refilled in mid to late March. An aeriation system is also planned.

Meanwhile, the Game and Fish Dept. got involved, making plans to stock the pond with “catchable” rainbow trout of six to eight inches in length. The first trout to be placed in the pond on May 13 were raised by students of Rocky Mountain Middle School science teacher Jessee Wilson during the 2025-26 school year. Then 400 six- to eight-inch trout were placed in the pond last Thursday by the Game and Fish, with plans to put more rainbows in the pond every other week or so.

The big day

As families streamed in from the highway at the Cal S. Taggart Visitor Center, then gathered to start casting, new Bighorn Canyon Supt. Dustin Sene opened the dedication with a few remarks.

Sene began by welcoming the visitors and thanking them for the warm welcome he has received from the community since he accepted the permanent position in April, having previously served in an interim capacity.

“This year marks the 50th anniversary of this visitor center, which makes today’s event even more meaningful,” Sene said. “For 50 years this place has welcomed visitors, connected people to the landscape and served as a gathering place for the community. Today, we continue that tradition. This today is a great example of what small communities can accomplish when people work together and take pride in where they live.

“I want to thank the Wyoming Game and Fish Department for their partnership and support in helping stock this pond and create opportunities for local kids and families to fish, learn and enjoy the outdoors right here in their own community. I also want to recognize Bairco Construction for the tremendous amount of work they did on this project. They didn’t just come in, do the job and leave. They stepped in to help improve walkways, benches, sprinkler systems and many other aspects because they care about this place and the people who use it.”

Sene also thanked the Bighorn Canyon NRA staff for their hard work behind the scenes to make the project and Saturday’s event possible, including work to secure support for youth fishing and creating education programs for the summer.

“Places like this matter because they give families a place to gather, kids a place to fish and communities a place to connect,” Sene said. “In rural communities especially, those opportunities are important. Thank you again for being here today, for supporting this park, and for helping us celebrate this milestone together.”

Devin Bair spoke next and noted that the community is fortunate to have the visitor center and pond on the edge of town for use by families. He spoke about the project and the partnerships, thanking the Park Service, Game and Fish, his employees and others. He spoke about Bairco’s vision for the pond and explained the giveaways and prizes being offered during the free fishing day. He thanked Elsie Martens, whose property abuts the visitor center, for her patience as Bairco trucks worked on the project.

Sam Hochhalter, Game and Fish Cody Region fisheries supervisor, then told how the project to create a kids fishing pond for the Lovell community has been on his agency’s radar for many years including his 14 years working in the Big Horn Basin. He noted how a site would be examined, but some issue or problem always seemed to arise.

He said he was excited when the idea of the visitor center pond came up, and he thanked Bairco for helping turn “a cattail filled depression” into a fishing pond.

Hochhalter said there were 450 fish stocked in the pond as of Saturday, with more to be stocked at least once a month and, ideally, every other week. He said there was some concern about water in the pond getting too warm in the summer for proper trout habitat, which would lead to bass or bluegill stocked in the future. He did note in an earlier interview, however, that since the pond is fed by ground water, with water for irrigation of the surrounding grass pulled from the pond and replaced by cooler water from below, he expects the trout to do well.

Ranger Jenna Schauer also spoke about the rules for the day.

The pond was alive with young and a few older fishermen, including 99-year-old Frank Wilkerson, from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Little 3-year-old Lucy Nebel caught the first fish of the day, though she didn’t seem to enjoy touching the slimy, squirming creature.

The Park Service estimated that 237 people attended the event Saturday.

“This event was all about getting families outside and enjoying the pond, and that’s exactly what happened,” Supt. Sene said. “The smiles on the kids’ faces as they caught fish said it all. We’re thankful for the local partners who helped make it happen and for the great weather that made the day even better.”