Naperville Sportsman's Club donates $1,000 to stock park pond for recreational fishing

Thanks to a generous donation of $1,000 from the Naperville Sportsman's Club, the ponds at Sportsman's Park will be stocked with 300 Hybrid Bluegills and 68 Largemouth Bass for the 2016 fishing season.

Delivery of the fish will take place on Wednesday, June 8 between mid-morning and mid-afternoon.

"The Naperville Sportsman's Club is excited to be able to partner with the Naperville Park District by providing the funding for the initial stocking of fish in the ponds at Sportsman's Park," said Jim Monk, president of the Naperville Sportsman's Club. "We hope that everyone comes out to enjoy fishing or trap shooting at one of Naperville's world class recreational facilities, Sportsman's Park."

The Naperville Park District reopened Sportsman's Park in October 2015 following extensive park improvements and successful remediation of the soil resulting from use of lead shot earlier in the park's history. In addition to renovating the trap shooting facility and clubhouse at Sportsman's Park, the District added recreational trails and restored natural areas, which now are open to everyone to enjoy. The park improvements were funded, in part, by the City of Naperville's Special Events and Cultural Amenities (SECA) fund, supporting this unique public space that is part of Naperville's culture and heritage.

Sportsman's Park allows trap shooting on Thursday evenings from 6:00-10:00 p.m. and Sunday afternoons from 12:00 noon-6:00 p.m. The park is open to the public for fishing from sunrise to one hour after sunset on all other days of the week and before shooting hours on Thursdays and Sundays and after shooting hours on Sundays.