New west Louisville pond stocked with fish as part of years-long park revitalization

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- More than 1,000 fish were dumped in the new pond at Chickasaw Park on Wednesday, the next step in a years-long revitalization of the west Louisville park.

Fred Chandler, a west Louisville resident who enjoys fishing, showed up at the pond Wednesday to see Louisville Parks & Recreation deposit the fish, a scene that harkened back to his childhood.

"I used to fish here all the time when I was a kid," Chandler said. "We didn't live too far away, so this park has always been something that we were proud of."

Jason Canuel, director of Louisville Parks & Recreation, said the Chickasaw Park pond had fish years ago, but testing found contaminants that forced the pond to close.

Last month, city leaders celebrated the official opening of the 1.5-acre pond. Louisville Parks & Recreation drained it, aiming to improve water quality and fishing opportunities as well as add canoe and kayak access to visitors. Future plans also call for limestone seat walls, columns and pavers that crews are building by hand.

"This is the end of about an eight-year ordeal with design and permitting and construction," Canuel said.

Now, the pond is deeper, larger and stocked with what's expected to be a healthy fish population: 300 large mouth bass, 700 bluegill, 500 red-ear sunfish and 200 channel catfish. The pond won't be open for fishing for a year while the fish grow to a catchable size. It'll be catch and release only for the first two years, at which point testing will be done to make sure things are going as planned.

The pond will be west Louisville's only other spot to fish besides the Ohio River.

"In west Louisville, there's really not an opportunity like this to bring a kid out or a grandparent to bring a kid out and fish in a pond," Canuel said.

Chandler said the spot will not only be convenient but also a place for memories for generations.

"My dad taught me how to fish and all, and I look back on that and I can see that sometimes it becomes a lost art anymore that not a lot of people are taking their children to go fish and enjoy just what God is giving us," he said.

LG&E also installed updated walking path lights at the park, and the Olmsted Parks Conservancy is coordinating with Louisville Parks & Recreation to install and "butterfly and bee" pollinator meadow in honor of Muhammad Ali.

In July, city officials unveiled a new nature play area funded by the MSD Community Benefits program. It gives families a space to enjoy outdoor activities and connect with nature. The play area overlooks the Ohio River, features a climbing wall, a dry creek bed and is ADA-accessible.

The projects were funded by $2.5 million from the American Rescue Plan.

"In recent years, it had gone down," Chandler said of the park. "But I'm just glad to see that it's coming back up."

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New west Louisville pond stocked with fish as part of years-long park revitalization