One of the primary reasons I moved to Berkeley Lake in 2003 was the lake. As an avid fisherman I wanted to be as close as possible to water. Berkeley Lake reminded me of my youth growing up on the Winter Park Chain of Lakes in Florida. However the difference here was that Berkeley Lake has very small bass due to over- population. I've written numerous articles about the small bass on Lake Berkeley, how we have used industry standard fisheries management techniques, under the supervision of a fisheries biologist, to try to improve the fishery from bass that are literally starving to death, to a healthy population. I have personally removed a couple thousand bass from the lake to help this effort. BLHA, along with donations from local fisherman, have stocked 50,000 baitfish for forage. We were making good progress but had a long way to go. The idea was to reduce the number of bass and increase the amount of food. Shan O'Gorman, our biologist, said it would take years, but eventually we would meet our goal. I asked, back in '03, what would be the best method to turn the lake around the fastest? He replied, drain the lake and start over. He said in a few years we'd have big, healthy bass. At the time I thought that would never happen.

So fast forward to today, there are lots of discussions and plans in the works to accomplish the repair of the dam. The lake must be drawn down to a very shallow level to repair the dam. The suggestion from our biologist, which seemed unrealistic 7 years ago, is now a real possibility. BLHA is seriously considering this opportunity to remove the remainder of the fish from the lake and start fresh. This will allow the fish population to return to a manageable, stable, and healthy mix of species.

So, the plan being considered is that after the dam is repaired and as the lake is being returned to full pool we will stock a recommended amount of bluegill and forage fish for the bass. Grass carp will also be added to control weed growth. After the bluegill have had a chance to spawn and increase their population, we will add bass to the mix. This may take a year; however, we need to ensure that the bass have plenty of food before being introduced, or we will go right back to where we are today.

I realize that the lake being lowered it is a major challenge for everyone in the city, on or off the lake. The lake is unsightly, weeds are going to grow, trash can be seen on many a shoreline. It is a low tide so to speak and high tide will return. In the mean time, please take some time to pick up some trash, broken bottles, lawn chairs etc from the lakeshore. Get out and fish if you can get your boat in the water and be careful of the logs and stumps that are now just under the water and try to enjoy the lake, while we all do the lake a big favor by removing trash, renewing the fish population and repairing the dam.