Why anyone would fish either of these concrete ponds I have no clue.
I had played the Woodley lakes golf course for many years but never fished Balboa Lake until Tuesday (6/22/09) and won't be fishing at Balboa ever again. What a pathetically sad attempt by the city to make fishing fun. For starters the water at Balboa Lake is reclaimed and smells awful. Second, unless you're 5 or 6 years old or stuck in the wild without gear, no one should be fishing with a worm on a hook with a bobber tossed 6 feet away so you can watch the fish take the hook? Really comical watching dudes fishing this way. Especially when fishing for fish tank size 4" nothings. And then there's the carp. Why bother.
Next is Hansen Dam. Don't even bother fishing during the summer from the banks. The water is too hot and only the minnows are near the shore. With a normal rig using a spinner you'll never cast out far enough to catch anything other than a sunburn. If you want to try your luck at catching planted catfish here you'll need to bring a surf rod and cast a mile into the center of the pond.
If these two lakes are your only two options to fish, better off mowing the yard and taking out the trash.