MIDLAND, Texas — Earlier this January, trout was restocked at the ponds in C.J. Kelly Park and Beal Park.
For those unfamiliar with the process, the city will be doing this more than once throughout the year.
“In early January we stock both Beal Park and C.J. Kelly ponds with trout. We stock them with trout in the winter and catfish in the summer... So with both ponds, we do restock them a couple times a year. They get fished out to where there's no more fish and then we work with Texas Parks and Wildlife and get the ponds restocked,” said Joey Jolly, Recreation Manager for the City of Midland.
Citizens are allowed to fish at the ponds and even take at max five home.
But then that begs the question of whether or not they're safe to eat.
The answer? Yes.
Parks and Rec works with Texas Parks and Wildlife to make sure that everything is safe before anything else.
“So you can take up to five fish per person per day from the ponds. Again we work with the Texas Parks and Wildlife to make sure the water is safe before we bring the fish in. So the fish are able to be eaten. So they can take them home. And like I said, you can take up to five per person. If you're 17 or older you do need a license to fish,” Jolly continued.
So it's okay eat your catches from the ponds. But just make sure to follow all the rules when fishing as well, such as getting the proper licenses and keeping the limits on the number of fish you can take.