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Fisheries Improvements
By Jon Christensen, DNR Fisheries Management Technician II

The lake at F.W. Kent Park was built in the late 1960's. This lake, like many lakes built during this time period, was built virtually devoid of habitat. Most of our older Iowa lakes were built in almost a bowl-shaped fashion with little change in contour in the lakebed and, typically, all the trees were grubbed out and removed with machinery. The lack of habitat in these lakes severely limited fish populations and the potential in these lakes. We have come a long way in the construction of new lakes and are striving to make improvements on the lakes that we have.

Kent Park Lake, like many of the County Conservation Board (CCB) lakes which are managed by the Lake Macbride Fisheries Management Team, have seen an improvement in fish populations and angler success due to the addition of habitat. What do we do for habitat improvement? Typically we try to work with the managing CCB to add habitat which will suit their needs and, hopefully, improve fish populations which should, in turn, improve angling.

About anything can be used for fish habitat. Trees work very well. Pallet structures, stakebeds and Christmas trees are also a few examples. Most of our habitat work is done in open water conditions. However, winter can also be a good time if ice conditions are favorable.

We have a special 20 ft. modified boat for habitat work on our lakes. This aluminum plate boat has a flat carpeted deck and is equipped with a 150 hp. motor, winch and depth finder. This boat supports the large trees which we pull in with the winch or place on the deck with a tractor. The motor gives us the power to move heavy loads and to pull in trees. The depth finder is necessary for the placement of habitat on the lake bottom. The Macbride Fisheries Team used this boat at Kent Park to place 22 pallet structures into the lake in the fall of 2001. Recently, fifteen loads of pine trees were also added to the lake's habitat.

Habitat obviously gives fish a place to live. It also creates a food chain effect starting with algaes that grow and attract insects and invertebrates. The insects and invertebrates provide food for smaller fish and they also use the habitat to escape predators. The larger fish find insects and small fish to eat around the habitat and species such as crappie often spawn around or near cover. Remember to look for habitat at your local fishing hole, and you will likely find the fish.