Did you know The Woodlands Township has more than 40 ponds in its parks system?! Many are stocked with bass, catfish and more, making them a great place to go fishing this summer. All bodies of water are catch-and-release, meaning you must remove the hook and toss your catch back into the water, except for Bear Branch Reservoir, Lake Paloma and Lake Woodlands, where you can keep the fish you catch. 

It’s critical we take care of this precious resource so we can enjoy it for many years. The Woodlands Township Environmental Services Department offers year-round programs to educate residents on the health of our waterways and provide opportunities to get involved. Visit our website for a list of upcoming programs including the Storm Drain Marking Project, the Pet Waste Project and the Invasives Task Force Program, all of which take action to protect our waterways. 

Some of our younger residents have taken up the cause to protect local aquatic wildlife and keep our waterways clean through a new recycling program at local ponds. Thanks to the hard work of two local Eagle Scout candidates, twelve township parks now have monofilament recycling stations (MRS) available for the public to use. Discarded monofilament line, or single-strand nylon fishing line, entangles birds, turtles and fish, causing unnecessary injury or mortality that could easily be prevented when properly discarded.  

Daniel Verachtert first approached The Woodlands Township with his proposed Eagle Scout project to install an MRS at Northshore Park, Lake Paloma and Rob Fleming Park. Daniel’s project was well received and laid the groundwork for another Eagle Scout candidate, Colton Moore, to build and install eight additional MRS’s at parks throughout The Woodlands. 

An MRS not only provides a place to safely dispose of unwanted fishing line, but the collected line is cleaned of hooks, weights and trash and then shipped out for recycling where is it melted down and turned into other plastic products. So, next time you’re casting a line at a local pond, be sure to collect your broken, tangled or unwanted line and drop it off for recycling at one of these twelve parks with a monofilament recycling station:  

• Capstone 
• The Cove 
• Reedy Pond 
• Creekwood 
• Cypress Lake 
• Shadow Lake 
• Deepdale Pond 
• Mystic Lake 
• Alden Bridge 
• Northshore 
• Lake Paloma 
• Rob Fleming  

 “I’ve always loved fishing, and I fish a lot at the ponds in the Woodlands. I really enjoyed carrying out an eagle scout project that aligned with my personal interests so well, and I’ve committed to collecting fishing line from the recycling stations for the next three years until I go to college.” 

Colton Moore

Remember, a fishing license is required for all residents and non-residents to fish in public waters of Texas for almost everyone over the age of 17.  All lakes and ponds other than Bear Branch Reservoir, Lake Paloma and Lake Woodlands, are strictly catch-and-release but do NOT require a fishing license since they’re considered private waters. The upper portion of The Woodlands Waterway and Lake Robbins are the only bodies of water in The Woodlands that DO NOT allow fishing.