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Ashland County fisheries staff outlines fall/winter drawdown, electrofishing and stocking plans
Summary
Fisheries staff described planned dam repairs and drawdowns at Daylite and Augustine lakes, fall electrofishing to survey populations, and a walleye stocking plan tied to monitoring and tail-clipping to track fish movement.
Jason with fisheries, of Ashland and Iron counties, told the committee that fisheries staff completed spring surveys and will conduct fall and winter monitoring and stocking across several county lakes.
Jason said the department has a scribe clerk continuously monitoring anglers at the Lake Galilee boat landing during the fishing season and that electrofishing ("shocking") will be used this fall to assess population and mark fish ahead of stocking.
The monitoring and stocking plans matter because the department wants to avoid stocking over an existing strong year-class and to track how fish respond to an anticipated drawdown. Jason said Augustine Lake suffered a winter kill a few years ago and that staff plan to replenish walleyes there. He also said Daylite Lake is scheduled for a drawdown tied to dam repairs and that staff expect to lower the lake about 4 to 5 feet if the power company proceeds.
"I'm Jason with fisheries, of Ashland, Iron County," he said. "The scribe clerk will be out there continuously except for the month of November, starting back up December 1 through the end of game fish season." He described a tagging/marking procedure: when crews electrofish they will clip tails to identify handled fish and then monitor downstream and upstream areas to see where clipped fish relocate.
Jason described the electrofishing method and timing: crews use a boat with electrodes and a generator to temporarily stun fish, net them, measure them and release them once they recover. He said the technique is most effective at night in shallower water because the gear is effective roughly 2 feet horizontally from the boat and about 4 feet deep. He said crews prefer water temperatures below about 65°F for effective shocking.
He listed other waterbodies surveyed this year—Mineral Lake, Metair Lake, Devil's Creek near Mellon, Morgan and Morgan Falls Creek—and said staff will shock selected lakes this fall before stocking to ensure they are not already supporting a strong walleye year-class.
Jason also said the Forest Service will monitor lake levels and dissolved oxygen during drawdowns and that, if oxygen gets too low, managers may raise the dam to protect fish. He noted planned repairs at Phillips Dam, Silver Dam and Muser Dam this year.
Committee members asked about beaver activity and impacts on flows; Jason said ongoing beaver-trapping and monitoring are part of the department’s approach.
Jason told the committee he will return after fall shocking and stocking with updated results and monitoring data.
