Lake Hartwell Fish Attractors - Habitat Enhancement

In South Carolina, a significant habitat enhancement project on Lake Hartwell attracts anglers from across the region.

Largemouth Bass

In 2014, after a feasibility study and funding procurement, South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) began Lake Hartwell habitat enhancement efforts.

The Lake Hartwell enhancement efforts have two main objectives:

1) provide cover for various sizes of fish; and

2) fish concentration sites for anglers.

Through 2021, SCDNR has enhanced eight areas with about 105 concrete culverts/structures, 1,300 stumps, 560 tons of broken concrete slabs, 180 tons of riprap, five tons of pea gravel, 120 PVC artificial fish attractors, 150 bamboo fish attractors, 815 trees cut/cabled from the shoreline and 1,200 maidencane plants.

Lake Hartwell is listed as a Top 100 Bass Lake in America. The lake has hosted the Bassmaster Classic three times: 2018, 2015 and 2008. The 2018 Classic, with fishing on Hartwell and weigh-ins and Expo in Greenville, set a record attendance of 143,323. It’s been topped twice since.

source: South Carolina Department of Natural Resources

Brown Trout vs. Brook Trout

A recently published U.S. Geological Survey study examined how native brook trout interact with non-native brown trout under rising stream temperatures.

During the study, which is one of the first experimental studies linking climate change and invasive species biology, researchers found that non-native brown trout limited the ability of native brook trout to utilize warmer stream temperatures.

In contrast, removal of brown trout resulted in the expansion of brook trout into warmer waters.

The brook trout is a freshwater fish species native to eastern North America and threatened by climate change because of its requirement for cold stream temperatures.

Brown trout are native to Europe and have been introduced throughout much of the territory of native Brook Trout.

The research indicates that native brook trout were less resilient to climate change compared to the invasive brown trout because the native fish has less tolerance to higher water temperatures.

The study was published in the Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences.

source: U.S. Geological Survey

Snake River Headwaters Restoration

Trout Unlimited (TU) and Jackson Hole Trout Unlimited (JHTU) recently announced the launch of an ambitious new initiative to restore and protect the headwaters of the upper Snake River and its fishery, together with a diverse group of community and agency partners.

 TU’s Snake River Headwaters Home Rivers Initiative will leverage the capacity of the active JHTU chapter and engaged membership in and around Jackson Hole by working with partners to develop and implement high-priority restoration projects to benefit native trout and their habitats.

The Snake River Headwaters HRI will reconnect native trout spawning and rearing habitat by installing fish screens and removing fish passage barriers.

Projects will also restore water quality, habitat, and healthy stream conditions by improving water use and restoring streamflows. Outreach and youth education will actively engage the community and partners in these efforts.

The Snake River Headwaters HRI has been funded by a $100,000 commitment from JHTU as well as the generous support of other private donations.

source: Trout Unlimited

Lake Mattamuskeet Fish Habitat

A wide range of habitat enhancement, fisheries research, and other projects on Lake Mattamuskeet could improve fishing on the lake for largemouth bass and other species.

A multi-year habitat enhancement project on Lake Mattamuskeet is set to begin in 2016. Partners in the project include the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and UNC-Chapel Hill researchers.

The research project will focus on maintaining submerged aquatic vegetation in the east basin of the lake and examining the potential to increase coverage of aquatic vegetation in the west basin.

Previously, the N.C Wildlife Commission conducted annual electrofishing and trap netting surveys in the main lake and surrounding canals to describe abundance, size, condition, and growth of largemouth bass, black crappie, and other sportfish.

A tagging program evaluated adult largemouth bass movement within and between lake and canal habitats.

Lake Mattamuskeet was stocked with 45,000 largemouth bass fingerlings in 2014 and 70,000 in 2015 as part of a multi-year largemouth bass enhancement study.

Numerous angler surveys found that blue crab, channel catfish, black crappie, white perch, and largemouth bass were the top five species targeted.

Fisheries management plans for 2016 include an additional stocking of 50,000 largemouth bass fingerlings as well as the implementation of a largemouth bass movement project to track the movements of individual adult fish as they move in and out the canals.

Located within Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge, Lake Mattamuskeet is North Carolina’s largest natural lake (40,100 acres). Lake Mattamuskeet fish include both freshwater and estuarine species because of the drainage canals that connect the lake to Pamlico Sound.

source: North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission