Eagle Island State Park has been around since before I was born. There was a single winding pond that people would fish and swim in. Recently, they expanded the park to be more like other state parks in Idaho. They added a camping area and a new 5-acre pond, specifically for fishing. The pond is still under construction, but it did open to fishing this year and has been stocked. Time to test the waters.

The nearby pond was stocked for the first time this spring, and the crowds were waiting. Unusually warm weather had the pond bank packed right as the sun rose. It was a decent day of fishing, even with people on either side of me. Everyone was friendly, and almost everyone caught a fish. Made for a pretty great day.

The spring can be tough, even with stocked ponds. Once the weather warms, the people come out in droves. That means the fish numbers drop much faster, and usually, fishing is good for a single week, then you're left looking at other ponds more recently stocked to find some more fish to catch. Sometimes, the trout just aren't there, so you make it work in a fun way. The local pond scheduled stocking was missed, but the baby bass and blue gill were now numerous and hungry. Time for the Tenkara rod and some micro fishing.

Spring stocking has begun, but not as I'd hoped. Many of the ponds were not stocked on schedule, and it looks like a repeat of last year. In an attempt to get in on the first stocking of the year, I drove more than 30 minutes to a pond I hadn't fished before. It was supposed to have been stocked with 450 rainbow trout. I didn't get a single bite. I was ready to head home and decided to stop by a neighboring pond that was supposed to have been stocked as well. I almost didn't bother, but I got out with just one rod and gave it a go. Boy, am I glad I did.

Fishing the stocked pond as the sun rises. Will it pay off better than in the evening? Honeyworms dominated, but as the sun rises higher, the baits start changing in hopes of keeping the fish biting.