I think most of that restoration work on the creek is "done" for now (haven't actually seen any adult salmon or steelhead, but I have seen fry). Westmoreland casting pond is still operational. I do recall it gets drained periodically, I don't remember what time of year. I saw Travis Johnson and Whitney Gould practicing the last time I took my kid to the playground in the park. It does get used a bit by fly fishers, seems like mostly in the mornings. I also see model boaters using it as well, but you can find space. I can see Portland Parks intending to remove it in a long term plan, but I see it used most time's I've been at the park, and it would be a huge project to remove all that concrete and fill it in.
There is something to be said for removing the "impure" thoughts of catching a fish and actually focusing on your casting at practice, so when you are fishing you can just focus on fishing. But yes, it is very hard to do, especially if your free time is limited.
