Thread: Lake Management discussion and questions??

Originally Posted by pomme guy

The Corp and MDC work together to manage Pomme De Terre here in Missouri. The MDC puts out a large number of cedars most years in late February or early March. The Corp raises the water level 2' in mid April and holds this level or higher depending on rain, till sometime in June before they lower the lake to normal pool. This floods the willows and brush along the banks and provides the fry a chance to escape predators and feed on the insects, algae etc. Add in all the brush and beds us locals place and the standing timber and there is something for the fish at any age.

That would be fantastic! Go Missouri!

Our Army COE will not even consider doing that on our lake...they continue to follow outdated "Rules Of Engagement"....Our ODNR is broke and cannot add cover, etc. They can't even electroshock yearly...our lake gets checked every 5 yrs.
If our ARMY COE just raised the lake level to normal pool early, they would allow the White Bass, Walleye, etc to go up into the creeks to spawn....they won't budge.
With better forecasting, etc, they should be able to modify 1950's rules of flood control...but that would be like using "common sense"....and we can't do that! lol

Originally Posted by pomme guy

We've got a new issue right now, zebra mussels. They are dropping the water level on Pomme in a attempt to kill off the zebra mussels that came in with a dock from another lake. I think the goal is to freeze them over the next few weeks.

You will notice with the mussels that the water will really get clear because they filter everything, along with that, they spread like fire, and clog up water intakes, etc...biologists really do not know what to expect LONG TERM, too many conflicting reports!

Originally Posted by INTIMIDATOR

So what are some of the things you guys do at your lakes???
What kind of conservation, inforcement, etc, does your State do???
How well is your lake managed???
And how is the Crappie population and fishing??

Well my wife and I placed a couple of fish habitats last week. I learned it would be easier to place 1 at a time because we had a hard time moving around in the boat with 10 of my poor mans habitat in the boat at one time. We ask the ranger out at the lake again to make sure it was alright. They don't care as long as they are not creating any safety hazards for skiers and boaters. We very seldom see game wardens any more they are so few in the counties now from state cut backs and they are checking hunters mostly. Like around in the spring they have there hands full with turkey hunting so people seldom are checked fishing this time of year. The rangers at our lake keep it well clean and the grass cut. They are also working on a skeleton crew, and a lot of things that need replacing is starting to go down. The problem is that some people vandalise and tear things up. My wife and I went out to the lake today and a handicap bar that we had bolted down to the pier to help people like my wife and I get in and out of the boat on to the dock. Someone had tried to tear it off, so we were their the good part of the morning replacing the 4 inch bolts that I had put in it from the last time they had tried as this is not the first time. There is always a few bad apples that hurt others. The last time that they(MDWFP) shocked our lake they said that we had a good amount of fish. I asked the rangers when they would start replacing the water as it is in draw down mode now and they told us that they didn't know and that that comes from higher up(probably people that don't know nothing about fish and fishing) Well the water is going to have to be raised before we can place any shallow habitat. We also have trouble with the pond moss at our lake and was told that it is because of it being shallow in a lot of places. I can't wait till it gets warmer and we can get back to fishing this year. Hope everyone has a good safe fishing year.

Kudos sir ! You might like the `fruits` of your labors for more than a few years...enjoy them with your family ! 1 admitted advantage with "BB"s is though somewhat unwieldy, they can be carefully set 4-5 blocks tall in a stack on each bow of a pontoon and rapidly unloaded in a string set mostly shallow followed by 4-6 "C" trees and a PVC/ HARD wood attractor at about 16- 18 fow as the anchor. Our average thermocline mid to late summer is 15-19 fow at summer pool...This has been the most productive type `set` that have experienced and heard of, for most anything at least seasonally for a variety of fish.

I was reading on Zebra mussels and found out the the Quagga mussel ( another invasive ) was crowding out the Zebra mussels. They are worse, higher population density per given area and can live at deeper depths . Looks like from bad to worse.

Originally Posted by DockShootinJack

I was reading on Zebra mussels and found out the the Quagga mussel ( another invasive ) was crowding out the Zebra mussels. They are worse, higher population density per given area and can live at deeper depths . Looks like from bad to worse.

It's funny...some State's really care about their fisheries, they add cover, Patrol, have boat cleaning stations, tries to do something about invasives, etc, etc, etc....Ohio likes to make sure our Politicians, etc, are well fed and paid, and that we have so many social programs, no one will ever want to work and pay taxes....they don't think investment in Water is a good thing until they get thirsty or the whole State smells like rotten eggs! lol

OH-

I can attest to the taste of the carp. Had a fish fry with bass, crappie, and carp, and nobody knew they were eating carp until after the meal when we told them!

I heard the boys down in Florida are starting to eat a lot of Snakehead also...maybe that's a way to control them....but I think the bad thing is that all the invasives out reproduce all of the Natural species, and that is an even larger problem?????