North Augusta Restores Fishing at West Pond After One-Month Ban

North Augusta lifted a fishing ban at Brick Pond Park's West Pond. One month of pushback from residents made the difference. The city council voted on Feb. 2 to bring back fishing and some boating after citizens organized against the January restriction.

The ban started in early January. A private citizen wrote to the council about fishing line that put wildlife at risk in the ponds. Mayor Briton Williams said the fishing ban wasn't an actual suggestion from the citizen committee watching over the park, though council members had been told it was in December before their first vote.

"The whole thing felt like a breakdown of communication," said Councilman Dennis Briatico, per The Post and Courier. Briatico had supported the ban at first. Only councilmen John Felak and Kevin Toole stood against it from the beginning.

Williams said he didn't know how big a problem it was at the time. Nobody spoke up for or against the fishing ban during the process, which took about a month from when it appeared in early December at a work session until the final vote on Jan. 5.

Nick Hobbs spearheaded the effort to restore fishing at the 16-acre West pond. Hobbs has fished for more than 20 years. He said he wants to help protect wildlife from trash that anglers might leave behind. Adding more trash cans and monofilament tubes could help, he said.

The new rule says all fishing must be catch-and-release. Hours run from nautical sunrise to nautical sunset. No motorized boats can be used, except those with small electric trolling motors. The east ponds stay closed to fishing and boating, as they have been for several years.