DNR Plans New Fishing Pier at Woodbury’s Colby Lake

The state Department of Natural Resources plans to install a fishing pier at Woodbury’s Colby Lake this summer.

The new 84-foot pier—part of the DNR’s “Fishing in the Neighborhood” program—will likely be put in this August or September, said Jim Levitt, a DNR fisheries specialist who lives in Woodbury.

The Woodbury City Council on Wednesday will likely approve a joint-powers agreement with the DNR for the fishing pier, which will be constructed at no cost to the city. Woodbury is planning to install a path to the pier at the south end of the lake, Levitt said.

The Colby Lake pier will be longer but similar in style to the Powers Lake pier, which was installed 5-6 years ago as part of the Fishing in the Neighborhood program, Levitt said.

Last year, the DNR for the first time stocked the lake with catfish, part of water-quality initiatives with the city and local watershed district. The catfish are meant to control the bullhead population in Colby Lake, Levitt said.

Bullhead stir up the in-lake cycling of phosphorus, which impairs water quality, Levitt said.

The 70-acre Colby Lake also has bluegill, crappie, perch and northern pike.

The DNR’s Fishing in the Neighborhood program is “aimed at increasing angling opportunities, public awareness and environmental stewardship within the seven-county metro region,” according to its website. “As the state’s population has become increasingly urbanized, it has become evident that there is a growing need for easily accessible fishing opportunities close to where people live.”

People can access Colby Lake at Edgewater Park.

For more information about the Fishing in the Neighborhood program, visit the DNR’s website.

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