THE
FRONT PAGE By Steven Bardin and Gary Klein
let ’ s take a deep dive into habitat restoration
MLF Fisheries Management Division Fisheries Enhancement pillar in action
Habitat restoration is an extremely important component of reservoir management throughout the United States . The importance of habitat restoration is being driven by habitat loss that occurs over time in all reservoirs .
Natural wood materials degrade , silt and sediment cover hard structure and shorelines erode over time . These processes continue at an increasing rate as each reservoir ages . It ’ s predictable , it ’ s universal and it ’ s a problem that will only increase over the next decade .
Habitat loss led the MLF Fisheries Management Division in Partnership with Berkley Labs to devote one of our core pillars to Fisheries Enhancement . Our goal was to tackle projects throughout each season by collaborating locally on specific issues pertaining primarily to habitat loss .
We ’ re not just building fish attractors , but instead focusing on the materials we use , site selection and density to accomplish specific goals . Those criteria lead to the implementation of well-designed habitat projects that result in improved fish survival , increased overall abundance , more successful sampling efforts and better angler catch rates .
enhancement underway in alabama
In May , while the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit anglers were preparing tackle on their off day before their event on Lake Guntersville , the MLF FMD was partnering with the City of Cullman and the Water Authority Board to deploy habitat in the Duck River Reservoir . This 640-surface-acre reservoir was filled in 2015 and has been open to the public for fishing since 2017 .
During construction of the reservoir , the engineers required the removal of all brush and hardwood standing within the site . This was to ensure that water quality would be somewhat stable as the reservoir supplies drinking water to the residents of Cullman . With a lack of hardwood and limited aquatic plant growth , the reservoir is starting to be fairly habitat-limited at a very young age .
The MLF FMD designed a seven-part habitat deployment plan for the reservoir that focused on using dense materials that improve the survival of juvenile fish . This deployment focused on creating underwater edge habitat that improves ambush success , placing the habitats in popular fishing locations to immediately improve angler catch rates .
PHOTO BY ROB MATSUURA
PHOTO BY TYLER BRINKS
The target species in the reservoir were largemouth bass , crappie and bluegill sunfish . Each require certain habitat components throughout their lives , so diversity was important when selecting products for a habitat project . The habitats were provided by MossBack Fish Habitat and were made of recycled PVC that mimics brush piles and standing timber .
Topographic maps of the lake didn ’ t exist , so one was created to most accurately determine water levels during drawdowns . This map was used by the MLF FMD to narrow down the seven sites to several-hundred-square-foot deployment locations .
Based on the depth range of each site , specific products were selected to provide the correct height and density of the product to accomplish our goals .
The success of this project was immediately seen with anglers catching fish while volunteers were still on site . In the long term , the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources will survey the lake periodically to monitor crappie recruitment and largemouth bass health .
habitat work at lake chickamauga
Our most recent project was at Lake Chickamauga during the first day of competition for the Bass Pro Tour Stage Five event at Watts Bar Lake . In the months leading up to the project , Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency ( TWRA ) biologist Joey Root and Mike Jolley met with our MLF FMD directors – myself and Gary Klein .
12 MAJORLEAGUEFISHING . COM | AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2022