Bluegill catch rates were below the management goal of >200/hr of electrofishing (101/hr in 2018) but were a continued improvement over 2016 and 2017 which resulted in 25 and 89 bluegill/hr electrofishing respectively. This population is still recovering following the winter kill in 2013/14. The bluegill are growing at a fast rate and are reaching harvestable sizes quickly. Twenty-four percent of the population measured over 7” in the 2018 survey. While bluegill numbers are lower than desired, there are other sunfish species within the population, including bluegill/redear sunfish hybrids and green sunfish.

We collected 15 channel catfish during the 2018 survey ranging from 16 – 20”. These fish are a result of supplemental stocking by the city. Average body condition of these channel catfish was very good (Wr = 109). The supplemental stocking of channel catfish by the city should provide excellent catfish angling opportunities. Catfish are regulated with a 6 fish/day creel limit. Anglers can catch channel catfish near deadfalls and stickups in the warmer months throughout the lake using bottom fishing techniques with cut bait, shrimp, chicken livers, dip bait or night crawlers.

The largemouth bass population is starting to rebound following the winter fish kill in 2013/14 and restocking by the city. We collected 133 bass/hr electrofishing in the 2018 survey, which is within the management goal for the lake. There were 2 main size classes of bass, 4-7” and 10-13”, which were most likely the year classes from previous stockings. We surveyed a very small number of larger fish. The population structure is currently skewed towards smaller fish but should stabilize over the next few years and produce a quality bass fishery. The current bass regulation is a protected slot, no possession of fish measuring between 12-15” and a creel limit of 6 bass/day.

Only two redear sunfish were collected in the 2018 survey. Redear fingerlings were stocked by the IDNR hatchery system in October 2016. The fingerling fish should grow quickly and recruit into the catchable population, unless predation pressure by the 8-10” largemouth bass year class was too high