500 lbs. of Large Mouth Bass Plus...

We all know this has been a tough Spring as the weather goes. But, that's not holding us back! Our Spring fish delivery has arrived. Please read on, we will get to the Large Mouth Bass! We must have a robust and healthy ecosystem to support and sustain our game fish.

By the way, we now have a substantial amount of shoreline that is walkable. It's exciting to see that fish reproduction has flourished. We receive regular comments on the increasing size and continued good health of our pan fish and game fish. We firmly believe our program is working.

Feed Fish Since 2019:

Whether you have been aware or not, we have been adding 2,000 lbs of minnow & shiners and 5,000 bluegill to the lake as feed fish every year. The goal has been three-fold. First, feed/beef up our game fish. Secondly, and just as important, build a population of feed fish that can survive, reproduce, and thrive. Finally, we must mix the gene pool of these species to maintain a healthy fish population

Feed Fish - Spring of 2022

The fisheries and federal regulations have limited what has been available to us this spring.

First, we have added 700 lbs. of shiners as feed fish. As you may recall, we typically add 500 lbs. minnows and 500 lbs. of shiners in both the spring and the fall. We could not get minnows for the spring so we upped our shiners to 700 lbs. As most of you know shiners tend to be a bit bigger than minnows. This should be a good thing for our larger game fish who have the ability to consume a larger feed fish.

Bullfrog tadpoles were not accessible this spring. We are holding a reserve to purchase bullfrog tadpoles in the future.

Now the 500 lbs. of Large Mouth Bass! Every year we add to the population of several pan fish and game fish. Like the feed fish, our aim is to mix and therefore maintain a healthy gene pool. Yep, like humans, the in breeding in a closed ecosystem like our lake can lead to high susceptibility to disease and ultimately unhealthy fish.

The last two years, we have added Crappie, Small Mouth, Walleye, Trout, and even Muskie to mix the gene pool. It was the large mouth bass' turn this year. Check out the size of these large mouth bass that have been put into the lake this spring. These Large Mouth Bass averaged 1-1/2 to 2 lbs. in size.

NOTE 1: We need to catch and remove about 500 large mouth bass that are 8-10 inches in size. There is now a sheet at the sign-in table for you to log how many bass you have removed. We need to track this; your cooperation is appreciated in advance.

NOTE 2: REMINDER: Do not bring fish to the lake from other rivers and lakes!! There are no exceptions to this! Fisheries are highly regulated and monitored to make sure we are receiving safe, healthy and non-invasive fish into our ecosystem.

NOTE 3: Why muskie?! First, some of you have caught must and asked about them. The are exciting to catch and are getting big - fast! We put about 10 muskie in to control the Shad population. It's important you release the muskie back into the lake. We added 8-10 muskie that were 10 inches long. We estimate they are pushing 3 feet in length today. Here are a couple of pics of catches last year and year before

In all, we invested about $16,000 in fish this spring to maintain and enhance your fishing experience. We are working hard on the fall delivery already. We are looking for a fishery that has mature trout for the fall. If you have knowledge of a fishery that supplies large trout, please let us know!

REMINDER: We have unclaimed tagged trout, crappie and walleye. If you should catch one, please take a pic of the fish and close up of the tag and release the fish. Text the pics with your name to 937-688-0186 to claim your reward. The first to catch an unclaimed tag will win the award. We have about 30 unclaimed tags

Your support and feedback is appreciated. The weather has to break and looks like its going to be hot this coming week. Water temperatures should be prime for great fishing. We look forward to seeing you out there.