Question on Clark Hill

[Joseph P.]

Hello, I am a striper fisherman on Clark Hill and I have read some of the dive reoprts around the dam. It is neat that you see first hand what we normally see on our deepfinder(ie bottom topo, thermocline). If you don't mind I have a few questions..

As you may know there was a fish kill on clark hill this year. As I understand this is a first for stripers and Hybrids. I was cuoius if Y'all noticed anything different this year as compared to previous years? Also, have you noticed any dead fish below the surface or on the bottom?

Thanks for any response

 

[diveprof]

Hello, I am a striper fisherman on Clark Hill and I have read some of the dive reoprts around the dam. It is neat that you see first hand what we normally see on our deepfinder(ie bottom topo, thermocline). If you don't mind I have a few questions..

As you may know there was a fish kill on clark hill this year. As I understand this is a first for stripers and Hybrids. I was cuoius if Y'all noticed anything different this year as compared to previous years? Also, have you noticed any dead fish below the surface or on the bottom?

Thanks for any response

There was a major kill of stripers and hybrids this summer. A real shame. These were often the big guys too. The Corps actually had a boat out picking up the floating carcasses. We saw a few on the bottom, but most seemed to be floaters and would wash to shore. This has been a strange year for diving and fish life. The sudden influx of water this spring is supposedly responsible for the kill - screwing with the oxygen levels (and vis for us divers). For the past several years, there have been major kills of the blueback herring in the area around the dam and up lake for about a mile or so in late summer. We used to run into the schools of herring many times each year. In previous years they (dead ones) actually carpeted the bottom in the area around the Dam (fish every 4-8"s) at depths below 50'. We saw fewer schools last year and we've seen them only once this year. I believe the population is down as very few died/were seen on the bottom this year. From a diver's perspective I will say the fish count around the dam is down from what it used to be. Hopefully, the oxygen generator that the Corps is moving forward with will reverse this trend and improve fish life.

 

[Joseph P.]

I heard the DNR was planning to use a camera to look at the bottom for fish but I don't think it ever happened. Did the DNR guy talk to you about what you were seeing? Thanks again for the info.

 

[diveprof]

The Corps has a camera that they drop over the dam to look at the fish. Not sure if they how mobile their system is. I've discussed this with the Corps biologist and even sent him some u/w photos. I believe that they were intially unaware of the extent of the herring kills, but have a handle on it now and are moving forward with the oxygen generator.