Grab your poles

After the 4-acre Turner Reservoir was drained in 2019 due to leakage issues, the popular fishing spot 7 miles northwest of Osage has been refilled and restocked, according to Aaron Voos, public affairs specialist for the U.S. Forest Service. 
“The contractor who did the initial repairs (JTR Excavation) in the winter and spring of 2021 returned in the fall to repair the leaky head gate,” Voos said. “The reservoir was stocked by Wyoming Game and Fish with 7½ -inch rainbow trout in March 2022.”
Paul Mavrakis, regional fisheries supervisor for the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, said 600 rainbow trout were stocked and 300 more will be added in October. He said the reservoir will be stocked with rainbow trout twice a year as long as the water remains in a good condition. 
Additionally, the reservoir was also stocked with 700 largemouth bass from the Osage reservoir. Mavrakis said there should be more bass now that they’ve had time to reproduce.
It took several years to secure funds to design and contract the repair of the infrastructure failure, but the work is now complete, Voos said. The reservoir was drained before removing the head gate, and then a new gasket was installed.
“The initial leak was due to failure of the overflow drainpipe that ultimately affected the dam. The post reconstruction leak was caused by the gasket between the concrete intake pipe and the metal head gate not properly sealing,” Voos said. 
Jim Darlington, range manager for the Inyan Kara Grazing Association, said the galvanized pipe rusted out, weakening the dam, so when a “real catastrophic flood” came, it blew out. 
“It was drained by man, and then Mother Nature finished it off,” Darlington said. “It’s looking pretty darn good now.” 
Jeremy Ross of JTR Excavation said that the new head gate controls the water flow through the recently installed pipe, as previously reported by the News Letter Journal (“Turner Reservoir construction complete, filling is slow,” dated Aug. 26, 2021).
The article also stated that stickleback minnows were an issue because of the spines on their backs, which causes harm to other fish. Mavrakis said that although there are still some stickleback present in the drainage, the small population is not too much cause for concern. 
The USFS made some other improvements, and Mavrakis believes that after all the repairs, it will be a great fishing spot for interested anglers. 
“In addition to repairing the reservoir, we also replaced the vault toilet with a precast concrete type from Boom Concrete in Newell, South Dakota. The existing boat dock has been removed due to a leaky float, and the Ranger District is working to find funding sources to get it replaced,” Voos said. 
The reservoir has been a longtime favorite fishing spot for local fishermen, and Darlington said he hopes the people who enjoy it will be good stewards and take care of it.
“It’s a source of recreation for folks.  … It’s an important place for people to get out of the city and recreate for a little bit,” Darlington said. “Hopefully, things just keep on staying good there.”