COLUMN : BASS SCIENCE
ILLUSTRATION BY RON FINGER the effects of aging reservoirs
We can ’ t do much about it , but understanding the process is a good start
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
TJ Maglio is a tournament angler and outdoor writer based in Minnesota . He has a degree in wildlife ecology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and has also worked professionally as a wildlife biologist and environmental consultant .
I n 1997 , an environmental journal estimated that there are over 800,000 manmade dams in the world . Whether built for flood control , irrigation , water storage or any other purpose , all those dams have a reservoir behind them . If said reservoir is in the U . S . ( and an increasing number of other countries ) it probably has bass swimming in it .
Reservoirs provide innumerable economic and recreational benefits , and it ’ s hard to think of them as anything other than timeless . Like all things , though , reservoirs have to fight the effects of aging .
The first thing you may think about the concept of “ reservoir aging ” is in terms of the actual dam structure and the kinds of maintenance you may need to ensure it lasts , lest we see another dam failure like the one that almost occurred on California ’ s Lake Oroville in 2017 . Although the wear and tear on those engineered bits is important to consider , that part is for the politicians and engineers to work out . We want to look at the concept through the eyes of a bass angler – and how reservoir aging can impact a fishery ’ s bass population .
deposition
When streams , creeks or rivers swollen with spring rains merge with the deeper waters of a reservoir , their current slows , and suspended particles ( sand , silt , organic matter ) slowly fall to the bottom . This annual process “ deposits ” new
30 MAJORLEAGUEFISHING . COM | OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2021