New 5-acre pond promises a top-notch fishing experience

Robin Street looked on with satisfaction as a bucket brigade of volunteers delivered lunker rainbow trout to the family fishing pond on land that had been his family’s since 1883.

“It will be done when the kids start fishing here. That will be great,” Street said with a smile under sunny skies Wednesday.

The Pine Grove Pond’s grand opening will be Saturday, April 30, starting at 9 a.m.

And it’s been a long time coming.

Several years ago, Street couldn’t find a taker for gravel that would be excavated to create a pond, but his land ended up being a primary source for fill that was used to build the Kalispell bypass last year.

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks used a grant to pay Street $20,000 for 13 acres worth at least $200,000 just off Rose Crossing north of Kalispell. After paying the state a royalty for the gravel, and all the permitting and development costs, Street figures it was a wash.

Revenue from the gravel was a fortunate subsidy, but Street was never in it for the money.

“I wanted the hole in the ground,” he said. “I wanted a pond. I thought this would be a neat place for kids fishing.”

Although the pond is ringed by towering ponderosa pines, it is named for a school that Street’s grandfather founded. Street’s father served on the school board and then he did himself before the school closed in 1973.

“When we needed a name for the pond, I wanted people to remember Pine Grove,” Street said.

The five-acre pond is a standout among the state’s other family fishing ponds in the Kalispell area, said Jim Vashro, regional fisheries manager for Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks.

“Just the setting alone is incredible,” he said. “It’s quite large compared to our other ponds and it’s deep.”

With a maximum depth of about 17 feet, fish are expected to weather the winter at Pine Grove, unlike shallower ponds that tend to have fish winterkill. The nearby Whitefish River provides the pond with a healthy water recharge.

“When you figure this was just a field a year ago, this is astounding,” Vashro said.

In February, Street received the Landowner of the Year Award from the Montana Chapter of the American Fisheries Society.

And recently, Montana Wildlife Federation gave a Landowner of the Year award to Street and his son, Steve.

Although he had the lead role, Street stressed that he wasn’t alone in the effort.

“A lot of people, a lot of organizations helped to make this happen,” Street said.

Steve Street built a handicapped-accessible fishing dock. Volunteer Gene Fincher rounded up some help to build a picnic shelter. The Flathead Valley Community College heavy equipment program built road access and parking.

Ames Construction, the Salt Lake City firm that was hired for the bypass, did reclamation and grading work that created gentle slopes leading down to the pond. The Flathead Electric Cooperative’s Roundup for Safety program provided fencing. The Boy Scouts are slated to do landscaping work.

Flathead Wildlife Inc. is bringing in about a dozen bluebird boxes, and its members were on hand along with Walleye Unlimited members to help with Wednesday’s fish stocking operation.

The federal Creston fish hatchery provided 1,200 5-inch rainbows and 2,600 9-inchers, and the Murray Springs state hatchery in Eureka provided 50  two- to three-pound rainbows.

But the big excitement came when the truck from the Jocko River state hatchery in Arlee arrived, carrying 105 rainbows ranging from 5 to 15 pounds.

“That one looks like a shark!” shouted Spencer Soteros, the only youngster around for the stocking effort.

“Even the small ones are big, really,” said Ron Snyder, who delivered the whoppers from the Jocko River hatchery.

Vashro said the 10-day delay for the opening is intended to give grass around the pond a chance to take hold before it gets some heavy foot traffic. Once the pond is open for day use only, there is a catch-and-release rule for anglers 15 and older, and those younger can keep one fish per day.

The pond is located just off Rose Crossing about a half mile east of Whitefish Stage Road.

Reporter Jim Mann may be reached at 758-4407 or by email at jmann@dailyinterlake.com.