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What is an Urban Lake?
For this article, an Urban Lake is any body of water within or near city limits providing easy and legal access to anglers. Typically, an Urban Lake fits the profile of being a man-made body of water deemed a “lake” or “pond” by a local authority; situated in a public park or on other public lands; legally accessible to anglers; relatively small in overall surface area (perhaps 2 to 15 acres); relatively shallow in maximum depth (like 8 to 15 feet); very restrictive, if not prohibitive, of boating; and generally stocked with game fish like bass.
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Is there an Urban Lake in my vicinity?
According to my research online, at least thirteen states in the USA have dedicated programs called “community fishing,” “urban fishing,” or “fishing in the city,” or have areas designated as “urban fisheries” or “urban fishing waters.” Still, all states have lakes within or bordering the city limits of most prominent major urban locations. Locating them is a simple matter of performing an internet search. For example, I discovered in my home state that the Arizona Game and Fish Department Community Fishing Program encompasses thirty-six locations with waters designated as lakes or ponds in fourteen municipalities.
Urban Lakes may fall under several jurisdictions, sometimes encompassing multiple governmental agencies, such as states, counties, and cities. Before visiting their waters, be sure to check with the local authorities about requirements for licensing and entry fees, as well as for regulations regarding available fish species and any tackle restrictions.
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Why fish for bass at an Urban Lake?
First, for urban dwellers, going bass fishing near home is convenient. For example, now that I am retired, I like to fish often and cannot always expend the time, effort, cost, and personal wear and tear entailed by the five-hour round-trip drive required to fish in out-of-town waters. My solution is to fish in an Urban Lake. By traveling only fifteen to thirty minutes, I can be bass fishing in any one of the three local lakes in my city. Likewise, when traveling to other cities, I can pack a travel rod and take a break from conventional urban pursuits to go bass fishing. Secondly, an Urban Lake is a great place to learn and practice bass fishing without leaving your geographic backyard. Once you have selected and perfected your tackle set-ups and become adept at different techniques, you will be confident to take trips to more exotic waters where you can fish for bass with greater success. Third, an Urban Lake is family-friendly. Being so close to home, it can be the perfect place for introducing children or grandchildren to bass fishing without subjecting them to what may seem to them to be an all-day angling ordeal. Often, parks surrounding urban waters provide access to picnic tables, zoos, playground equipment, and playing fields. So, after some fishing, your family can have a cookout, then fish some more, or, if the kids are bored, you can take them to the slides and swings, throw a Frisbee, play a little ball, fly a kite or model airplane, or make the short drive back home.
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What are the characteristics of an Urban Lake?
As an artifact of human design, an Urban Lake typically lacks significant underwater structure, like ledges, channels, or drop-offs. Also, it generally has limited cover compared to a natural body of water. However, the better-planned lakes were worked into natural landscapes with irregular perimeters bordered by pre-existing trees and foliage. Lastly, an Urban Lake is likely to have shallow water that facilitates bass angling, especially regarding sight fishing.
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What bass fishing tackle and techniques suit an Urban Lake?
It is mandatory to check local ordinances for any restrictions impacting the use of lures and tackle or hook and line configurations favored by bass anglers. In addition, there may be regulations that prevent certain practices like night fishing due to the curfews at many urban parks. Furthermore, there are almost always minimum sizes and daily limits for catch and keep. Finally, even when boats are allowed, there likely are restrictions, if not prohibitions, on the size and type of watercraft permitted and using different kinds of motor power, like electric trolling motors and gasoline engines.
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What unique challenges are posed by fishing an Urban Lake?
Being readily accessible to residents, urban waters raise several concerns for the bass angler. Most notably, there will be a greater density of on-shore anglers than found at most out-of-town lakes, which tend to be predominately boat-angler oriented. As a result, there may be more competition for fishable shorelines. Also, compared to distant lakes, there are more varied recreational uses in and around urban waters due to their typical city park settings. So, the bass angler must contend with the noise and bustle of picnickers, partygoers, dog walkers, model airplane hobbyists, joggers, bikers, skateboarders, and school outings in varying degrees of proximity to the shoreline. Finally, because not everyone obeys the law, you may encounter litter, loud boom-boxes, drunken fools, and unleashed dogs jumping in the water. Fortunately, these are only occasional problems, at least where I live, but they can be infuriating when they do occur. Of course, the above difficulties can be reduced in frequency and severity by fishing urban waters on weekdays rather than weekends or holidays.
Vince LaZara is a retired college professor who took up bass fishing a few years ago in anticipation of retirement. He angles avidly for largemouth bass regularly in various lakes in southeastern Arizona.
