Artificial fish habitat structure
- Thread starter WaterMan
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Meatwagon
Keeper of San Juan Secrets
A floating habitat that is say 15 ft. deep would provide cover in the top 15 ft of water regardless of the lake level.
WaterMan
Well-Known Member
Bluegill, Crappie, LMB, Catfish. Each structure is different and attracts different fish.
WaterMan
Well-Known Member
here is a video on a web site about ponds.
Create Fish Habitat
Fish need to have a safe, relaxing place to go, whether it is to get away from predators or spawn peacefully. A good pond fish habitat in shallower waters will provide baitfish with hiding places as well as areas for algae, plankton, and other food sources to grow. Developing a pond fish habitat...
www.thepondguy.com
Fursniper
Well-Known Member
I was involved in testing different types of artificial fish habitat structures on the AZ side of Lake Powell in the late 1980's and early 1990's. At that time, I was stationed in Page and working for the AZ Game and Fish Dept. I found the project summary from 35 years ago and copied info from it here to share the results from back then. I'm retired now and thought the results of this might be of interest.
An artificial fish habitat program started on Lake Powell in the winter of 1986-87 with a Christmas tree project conducted by the community of Page with guidance from the AZ Game and Fish Department (AGFD) and UT Division of Wildlife Resources (UT DWR). From 1986 to 1989, about 2000 Christmas trees were placed in Lake Powell in 5 coves along Lake Shore Drive between the dam and Wahweap Marina. The purpose was to attract fish to high use shoreline areas to benefit anglers. The success of the Christmas trees to attract fish was documented by underwater video photography.
Various plastic habitats were put into Lake Powell in May 1989 by the AGFD. The plastic habitats consisted of plastic trees, snow fencing, and PVC pipe. The AGFD then began a study to compare the effectiveness of Christmas trees to plastic artificial habitat types. Monitoring was done by SCUBA diving, underwater video photography, creel census, gill netting, and electrofishing. The study was concluded in May 1991 at the request of the National Park Service and all of the plastic habitat structures were removed.
Christmas trees and tumbleweeds were more effective in attracting fish than structures made from plastic. The low fertility of the water in the lower lake prevents a food chain from being established on structures made out of plastic. Natural products overcome the low fertility by leaching nutrients from the plant material. This was evident by very little periphyton found on plastic habitats and large amounts found on Christmas tress with spiny naiad becoming established where Christmas trees were placed. Lake Powell also has a siltation problem that prevents periphyton from becoming established on non-natural materials.
Christmas trees placed in Lake Powell were found to have longevity and durability if they remained underwater. Christmas trees which had remained underwater for 3 years still had some pine needles attached and their branches maintained flexibility. The low fertility of the water was thought to be the cause for the slow rate of decomposition. The most effective way to install artificial habitat structures was to suspend them off the bottom to prevent them from being buried in silt and prevent them being dewatered.
The fish species visually observed in descending order of abundance using the Christmas trees were bluegill, green sunfish, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, channel catfish, walleye, carp, and black crappie. The non-artificial habitat areas which had the greatest number and diversity of fish species were tumbleweed congregation areas. The areas with the least amount of fish observed were smoothly contoured slick rock formations.
This study later led to installing a fishing dock at Wahweap Marina with Christmas trees used as the artificial fish habitat structure. The Christmas trees were threaded on a cable. Each stringer of trees was about 35 feet long. One end of the cable was attached to the underside of the dock to keep the Christmas trees suspended at a constant depth from 5 to 40 feet deep as the lake level fluctuated.
I left Page after the fishing dock was installed at Wahweap Marina and do not know what has happened with artificial fish habitats since then. I'm sure Wayne knows and I hope he will chime in to give us an update.
An artificial fish habitat program started on Lake Powell in the winter of 1986-87 with a Christmas tree project conducted by the community of Page with guidance from the AZ Game and Fish Department (AGFD) and UT Division of Wildlife Resources (UT DWR). From 1986 to 1989, about 2000 Christmas trees were placed in Lake Powell in 5 coves along Lake Shore Drive between the dam and Wahweap Marina. The purpose was to attract fish to high use shoreline areas to benefit anglers. The success of the Christmas trees to attract fish was documented by underwater video photography.
Various plastic habitats were put into Lake Powell in May 1989 by the AGFD. The plastic habitats consisted of plastic trees, snow fencing, and PVC pipe. The AGFD then began a study to compare the effectiveness of Christmas trees to plastic artificial habitat types. Monitoring was done by SCUBA diving, underwater video photography, creel census, gill netting, and electrofishing. The study was concluded in May 1991 at the request of the National Park Service and all of the plastic habitat structures were removed.
Christmas trees and tumbleweeds were more effective in attracting fish than structures made from plastic. The low fertility of the water in the lower lake prevents a food chain from being established on structures made out of plastic. Natural products overcome the low fertility by leaching nutrients from the plant material. This was evident by very little periphyton found on plastic habitats and large amounts found on Christmas tress with spiny naiad becoming established where Christmas trees were placed. Lake Powell also has a siltation problem that prevents periphyton from becoming established on non-natural materials.
Christmas trees placed in Lake Powell were found to have longevity and durability if they remained underwater. Christmas trees which had remained underwater for 3 years still had some pine needles attached and their branches maintained flexibility. The low fertility of the water was thought to be the cause for the slow rate of decomposition. The most effective way to install artificial habitat structures was to suspend them off the bottom to prevent them from being buried in silt and prevent them being dewatered.
The fish species visually observed in descending order of abundance using the Christmas trees were bluegill, green sunfish, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, channel catfish, walleye, carp, and black crappie. The non-artificial habitat areas which had the greatest number and diversity of fish species were tumbleweed congregation areas. The areas with the least amount of fish observed were smoothly contoured slick rock formations.
This study later led to installing a fishing dock at Wahweap Marina with Christmas trees used as the artificial fish habitat structure. The Christmas trees were threaded on a cable. Each stringer of trees was about 35 feet long. One end of the cable was attached to the underside of the dock to keep the Christmas trees suspended at a constant depth from 5 to 40 feet deep as the lake level fluctuated.
I left Page after the fishing dock was installed at Wahweap Marina and do not know what has happened with artificial fish habitats since then. I'm sure Wayne knows and I hope he will chime in to give us an update.
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Yes I took part in all of the habitat projects mentioned. Thanks to AZ for helping with these projects that were confined to Wahweap Bay. Some were successful in years that trees were placed on the shoreline mid winter and then covered by water with the spring filling of the reservoir. The studies mentioned by Bob Lemons were in years when the lake behaved well and rose 20 feet or so. That put brush under water at the right depth to attract bass, bluegill, walleye and crappie and provide habitat. It was a big project to round up Christmas trees the first week of January and haul them to the lake, then put them in place by boat and anchor them down. We had a lot of volunteers help with the project.
Now lets consider what would happen to Christmas Tree habitat placed on the shore in January 2018 when the lake level only came up 3 feet. The trees would not be covered with lake water nor provide habitat during that year. Many were still out of the water. The same thing happened back in the 80s. I helped provide cinder blocks to hold the trees in place with rising water. The lake did not come up and the trees were still laying on the shoreline. Inevitably, I got the call from the park service that the cinder clocks had to be removed. So, I spent a week retrieving cinder blocks and moving trees. That was not very rewarding.
Then if we placed trees with cinder blocks on the shore in 2019 and the lake came up 50 feet, the trees would be too deep to produce habitat for the target species.
The fishing dock was the most successful habitat project. My son earned his Eagle Scout badge by supervising the gathering of trees, transporting them and placing them under the docks on steel cables. We have replaced trees a few times and there is still a good tree habitat under the docks. This is the most successful habitat project in Lake Powell.
The concept of having suspended fish habitat attached to a floating structure was also attempted back in the 90s. I worked with a Professor at Utah State - Price UT campus. He had a design for a small floating structure that held suspended trees at 15 feet underwater. UDWR funded the project. The professor and students came down and put the structure in Wahweap Bay near the mouth of Ice Cream Canyon. It almost worked but the platform was not stable enough. It tilted to the side causing the professor to remove the platform and then return to Price. We did not try again.
Creating fish habitat is difficult in a fluctuation reservoir. The only thing that really works is putting habitat under solid floating structures such as marinas, and floating tire lines. The fluctuating reservoir will not allow shore bound habitat to be effective except for a very short time in just the right years.
WaterMan
Well-Known Member
That is what I was thinking of. Az. lakes drop to 50% and then fill to almost full pool every year making the structures work on those lakes.
Thank You Wayne
Edward Gerdemann
Well-Known Member
Lake Powell is what it is which is pretty darned good as far as fishing is concerned. I would think control of the mussels would be a greater priority than artificial fish habitat. With that said, the fishing dock has been a success and I have no problem with installing artificial habitat in such places so people without boats can still enjoy a good Lake Powell fishing experience. In its current status, Lake Powell is an excellent smallmouth/striper/walleye lake with largemouth and crappies being secondary species. As it is, Lake Powell can provide one of the highest quality fishing experiences in the United States. Given all the issues Wayne and others have brought up concerning artificial habitat and the problems I think the best thing to do is leave Lake Powell as it is - one of the premiere fishing destinations in the United States. With the exception of mussel control (Do I hear red ear sunfish?), I think the best thing to do is just what Wayne has been doing. 
Ed Gerdemann
Ed Gerdemann
We have been concentrating on bluegill and their food habits. We know they eat mussels but do not have a firm grasp on the total impact of bluegill on mussel predation. We do have a meeting with the BYU professor and students who have been doing the stable isotope work on bluegill and other Lake Powell fish the end of February 2020. Hopefully we will know more then and be able to chart a new course with mussel predators. Stay Tuned.
That’s my hope as wellI hope they put the Redear's in
Beachin It
Active Member
The redear’s Lake Havasu have gotten to record size since the mussels invaded.
Edward Gerdemann
Well-Known Member
I can't speak to if many red ears are caught in Havasu, however I can attest to their flavor - they're grrrrrrrreeeeeeaaaaatttt!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
If you like bluegills you will like red ears. They tend to plumper and have more meat than a bluegill of comparable length. They fight like all get out. I've caught them up to nearly two pounds in Missouri and Lake Pleasant, and they will strip your drag. I can't image what battling a five-pounder would be like, but I'd love to find out! They don't take artificial lures very well. Live worms and crickets (the very best) are the ticket. Like bluegills, after they spawn the drop off into deeper water if deep water is available, but they don't seem to go as deep as bluegills. I've caught lots of bluegills at 25-40 feet, but I can't recall catching a red ear at much below 20 feet.I'd love to see them in Powell. If they're ever stocked you can bet I'll fish for them!
Ed Gerdemann
I caught a couple of nice bluegills on the striper wall on the east end of warm springs but they were down deep at IIRC 70-80 feet.
They were probably 1/3+ pound each but I wasn't fishing for them, just prospecting what the fish finder was showing. They were on top of rubble rock that deep. Right against the wall.
They were probably 1/3+ pound each but I wasn't fishing for them, just prospecting what the fish finder was showing. They were on top of rubble rock that deep. Right against the wall.
all interesting reading thanks!
I am glad I was a lot younger then. It did not seem like such a big deal back then, but today it would be a huge effort for me to remove cinder blocks from the shore of Lake Powell.
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