Who better to give you the in's and out's of the Aurora Reservoir than an Aurora Park Ranger? Visit Aurora (VA) interviewed Park Ranger Crystal Yusten (RC) and she gave us some great insight on what goes on at the Reservoir.
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| Aurora Park Ranger Crystal Yusten |
VA: How deep can the water in the Reservoir get in the summer?
RC: Up
to 100 feet in some areas.
VA: What is the average water temperature?
RC: In
the summer it can get in the high 60’s to low 70’s
VA: How many different kinds of fish are there in the Reservoir?
RC: Trout,
Walleye, Wiper, Crappie, Perch, Catfish, Smallmouth and Largemouth Bass,
Bluegill, White Sucker.
VA: What are some of the records held for
fish?
RC: There are several State
Records for Aurora Reservoir. For Channel
Catfish it's 43 pounds, 6 ounces caught
by Jessica Walton with a one day fishing license. Was one of her first times
out to fish and she caught a monster fish.
For Smallmouth
Bass, the record is 6 pounds, 11 ounces caught
by Ray Ong. I was there to see this fish weighed in. It was a big one, but I
think Ray’s smile was even bigger.
The White
Sucker record is 5 pounds, 6.65 ounces caught
by Jay Grupp. Usually a sucker is not a particularly popular fish so when he
caught the state record and turned it in, people joked about it.
The Quincy
Reservoir also has a state record Tiger Muskie which was 40 pounds 2 ounces.
Tiger Muskie are rarely seen at Quincy Reservoir anymore since they do not
reproduce, but every once in a while we will see a couple.
VA: What are some unique activities that you
see?
RC: We see all different kinds of recreation, including kite sailing, wind surfing, stand-up paddle boarding, geocaching, beach volleyball, crawdad fishing, biking, running, paddle boat rentals, and water tricycle rental.
VA: What is the cost to a guest?
RC: The cost is $10/vehicle/day
or $55 for Aurora Residents for the Season or $65 for Non-Residents for the
Season. If
they enter (walk, bike) through one of the 5 gates on the south side of the
reservoir there is no entry fee.
VA: How many miles of trail?
RC: There are 8 miles paved trail, and a USATF
Certified 5K course that is partly paved/partly unpaved.
VA: And finally, do you have a unique story or
something interesting that you've seen?
RC: I have many stories. This year’s $10,000 Trout
Tournament had some interesting winners in both the adult and youth divisions.
The adult winner was a second-time winner (he won in 2010 as well). Ted
Greenman brought in a 3.764 pound trout that took the $10,000 cash prize, which is
nearly a pound heavier than what won him the cash in 2010.
In the child division, first and second place winners were siblings. Olivia and Clayton Hegeman stuck
it out through the harsh weather to bring in two respectably large trout
winning them first (Olivia - 6) and second (Clayton - 4) places.
This is a lot of great information on the Aurora Reservoir. Do you have any further questions for Ranger Crystal? Just post them here and we'll get them answered for you!
