Strack Pond is named after a Viet Nam era soldier who was killed in action.
I've wanted to fish this pond for about two years; it is another kettle pond, found in New York City.
Two years ago a youngster fell through the ice here and drowned. I was unaware that this
small pond existed until the tragedy.
Located in Forest Park, Strack Pond is a popular area in Forest Park. While I was there,
a steady stream of visitors came and many sat down on the rocks and tree trunks.
It is a quiet area where a visitor can sit in the sun and watch nature. Unfortunately, there are the
the ever present turtles which inhabit urban fisheries but the water is clear. There is no, absolutely,
no duckweed or algae!
I sat on a convenient rock and relaxed. I spent the time counting the turtles and looking for signs of fish. (My rig, mini trout magnet under an indicator is shown above.)
It made me aware that there were, at least, small fish here.
Another view of the quiet, tranquil pond.
There was no wind this afternoon.
I fished a few flies and softbaits trying to see what is in this pond. My first offering
was a softbait grub on a scud hook. Something tried to take it but failed. A few more cast
After trying some different flies, a decision was made to try fishing with an indicator.
The pond is about four feet deep, so I set my indicator at about two feet. Nothing!
So, I went to periscope depth,six inches, that was pay dirt I caught my first fish. I cast again and caught another feisty Green Sunfish. I did see a much larger fish broach the pond surface in the center of the pond.
Strack Pond is a glacial kettle pond located inside Forest Park, Queens, New York City. The pond was buried in 1966 and restored four decades later.[1]
Its namesake was a Woodhaven resident killed in the Vietnam War. The pond is located at a point to the west of Woodhaven Boulevard and south of Forest Park Drive in a natural depression . Historically, Strack Pond did not have an official name. It was given its name in February 1969 after Private First Class Lawrence E. Strack. Strack grew up in Woodhaven and ice skated on what was then an unnamed pond. In the summer, he played in the Rich-Haven Little League, which was composed of children from Woodhaven and Richmond Hill. He signed up to serve as a paratrooper in 1966 and briefly returned home to marry his childhood sweetheart. On March 3, 1967 during a combat parachute jump in Vietnam, PFC Strack was killed in a fierce firefight.
For many years after the renaming, the site was used by the Rich-Haven Little League. The site often flooded after even a moderate rain, making it unusable for much of the year. In May 2004, the restored pond was opened to the public as a three-acre nature preserve with a trail descending to the pond.[2][3] Cleanup of the pond started in 2019. A full renovation with a patio has been proposed but is currently unfunded.[4]
Thank you for sharing, I'm gonna try my luck here this weekend:)
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ReplyDeletelet me know how you do, thanks!
ReplyDeletei went to this pond 5/17 & 5/18 2023 the pond is very bad shape. tried fishing there with my 2 young kids and not a single bit on line in 2 days. the water is brown and all big tree limps in the water. found bunches of dead fish in following in the lake and young fish abut a 1" size dying right in front of you by lake edge. alot of big size blue gills and sun fish floating dead in water only thing i see living in there are a couple of turtles.
ReplyDeletewent back one more time on 5/19 to the same stops i was fishing at only to find more big sun fish and blue gills around 5-6" dead near the shore. water is dark and dirty full of leaves and large tree branches in water. i didn't see any big fish alive signs only small young fish biggest around 3" dying near shore you can watch the water and see all the young ones coming to shore to die very said. the first day i used a trap and caught a much of them couple times the next to days not a sign one in trap both days kinda odd. i circled the pond only to see some areas water no movement and fish laying dead. i tried to cast on last time there only to bring in dirty people under wear!!! 2 small bags of garbage and other people fishing lines. not a place to fish if wanna see turtles and birds yes saw alot of nice birds but fishing wise no unless you want to catch small ones around 1-2" close to shore barely alive
ReplyDeletePlease call 3 1 1 so that the Park's department is made aware of this problem
ReplyDeletewent back to strack pond today water completely brown one a month ago was way clearer. a lot of dirt in water. you can find a around 7-8 turtles and a bunch of frogs but absolutely no signs of fish at all by any ways of fishing pole, minnow trap anythings dont know if the water got to all of them but no fish signs at all. the pictures of 2019 posted here doesn't look like the pond now at all how clear the water is, the flowers growing, egret there and no birds trying to fish there. i was hoping this time i went back it might be better but i was disappointed going to have to find a new pond lake to try to fish
ReplyDeleteThere are certain ponds that need to be fished in early spring. After early spring, it is better to fish elsewhere.I never go to Oakland Lake ( a kettle pond)to fish after mid-April! Call 3 1 1 about the condition of the water.
ReplyDeletecall already they dont seem to interested in doing anything. call 211 about it also
ReplyDeleteNY Department of Environmental Conservation is responsible for all state water. have you notified NY Department of Parks?
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