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The Resurrection of Fox Den Lake
(An Aquarist Tackles Lake Restoration )
by Robert Rice
email robertrice at juno_com
Many folks dream of living on a lake. To be able to fish
from your own backyard appeals to many of us. Imagine
catching the big one just a few feet away from a cold
one. Sounds great huh ? What people fail to realize is that
a lake or pond is more than just a bass factory. A lake is
an entire ecosystem. The size and health of it's super
predators (bass, pike , etc.) depends on the strength and
diversity of that ecosystem. It takes more to create large
fish than just a watery hole in the ground. It takes a
healthy vibrant lake. The kind of lake teeming with fishes
of all types, game and non game species. The non game
species are the foundation on which a great fishing is
made. Without them you have nothing but a few skinny Bass
and Bluebell chasing each other around desperately
seeking enough food to survive. Hardly the type of fishing
that is memorable.
I live in the Panhandle of Florida near Pensacola in a
coastal town called Navarre . When we first moved to
the area, the proximity to the Gulf of Mexico (less than a
mile away) and the lure of fresh seafood seemed to be
all I could have asked for. Imagine my surprise when we
moved into a home that backed up to a 2 acre drainage
freshwater pond masquerading as Fox Den Lake. I was
ecstatic. For you see I am an avid fisherman of a different
type . I spend much of my free time out in the waters
collecting and studying non game fishes of all sizes and
types. I have aquarium reared a great many North American
Native Species and thought perhaps this lake would hold
some unusual species for the home tank. You know catch a
few bass while loading up the fish tank with some nice
Killies and shiners.
I was dead wrong. After settling in to the House I began to
sample my lake , which I share with 10 other homeowners. I
was unpleasantly surprised. It held high nitrites due to the
run off and scant few fish and plants except for Gambusia
affiniss the dreaded mosquito fish and huge floating mats of
algae. All in all it was a water hole not a lake. I was
disappointed at first and then challenged. The few Bream in
there were skinny and of poor health . No Bass were
collected by hook, net or dynamite (Just kidding on the
dynamite part). The water temperature in the summer soared
to the mid 80's. The lack of vegetation and flat surface of
the water created a perfect solar panel. The pH was a
respectable 6.5. All in all I had a mixed bag to work with
and decided to start from the ground up.
First off the lake lacked any significant structure. The
barren sand that covered the bottom provided very few
places for fishes to hide. That problem was going to have to
be addressed and fast. I took a two pronged approach. First
I put (threw) a series of fish boxes, logs, and five gallon
plastic buckets into some of the deepest holes. The branches
and boxes provided cover for the younger fishes and the
plastic buckets with several 1 inch holes in the sides and
a cement bottom provided necessary nesting sites and
cover. If by chance you have access to cement pipes throw
them in there .I have found that cement piping makes
excellent structure. I was limited to using things I could
drop in from the shore or a canoe. You must also keep in
mind that on a private lake you may take some liberties that
you could not on a public lake. So check with your local
Fisheries personnel for any restrictions you may have.
The second problem was the more serious one and required
a more long term fix. The lack of suitable rooted
vegetation had allowed hair algae to dominate the lake. As
this huge mat of algae rotted in the summer heat, it used
up all the oxygen, the subsequent fish die off's and foul
odor made the lake unsightly and unpleasant. I realized if
the lake was gonna grow some worth while kind of plants,
it was up to me to decide what they was going to be. After
a little research was undertaken I decided to establish two
main plants, native lilies were to be on the surface , and
underneath the water, giant vallisnaria. I chose those
species for a variety of reasons, the foremost being they
were native to my area and I could easily collect them from
other locations . The other factors included ,
durability, looks and reproductive rate. I wanted plants
that would thrive in my lake but not take over. Native
plants were my only practical solution.
I spent the better parts of several weekends standing waist
deep in the lake planting Lilly tubers and eel grass root
balls in a mess of strange places .The neighbors seemed to
find it amusing and would cheerfully sit and watch me muck
around in the lake finding the occasional deep spot the
hard way. I felt a little foolish but I knew it was the
right approach so I stuck to it. I was rewarded in my
second spring on the lake, with a very large bed of eel
grass ( giant vals ) and lily's popping up in the mid range
shallows. Their crisp white flowers made the lake
stunningly beautiful. My neighbors who before looked at
me as if I was a bit nutty, began to trickle over to the
house and to get the inside scoop on the resurrection of Fox
Den Lake.
The second step was to add diversity in the available
forage. Contrary to the hype mosquito fish make poor forage
and even poorer mosquito fish ! Their primary forage
consists of plant matter, free swimming insects, and eggs
and young of other fish . True they do eat mosquito larvae
on occasion but not at nearly the rate of many other common
native species. In addition, their habit of remaining in the
shallowest water makes them generally unavailable as forage
for the predatory species. I did a little research and
talked with some of the folks in my Native Fish Club (North
American Native Fish Association) and came up with a
species list which would cover the full range of forage
from the very small on up ! For starters I added banded
pygmy sunfish (Ellasoma zonatum) this tiny guy (under 1.5
inches ) hides in the weeds at the edge of the lake
feeding primarily on mosquito larvae and in turn becoming
food for larger fishes. He is prolific and very tolerant
of harsh conditions. This is one of the hidden fellas that
makes a lake that much healthier. We know he does good.
We just don't know how much good he does ! I also added the
minute livebearer (Heterandria formosa) and the equally
small least killie (Leptalicania ommata). These little guys
make an excellent mosquito control group while being forage
for the young sport fishes.
My second addition were several members of the killie
family. killies or top minnows as they are sometimes
called are colorful, tough mosquito eating machines ! I
have observed killies in an Aquarium eat nearly their halve
body weight in mosquito larvae in a day ! They also have so
much species diversity that you can get them in all sizes
from the less that two inches to the whoppers of over six
inches. There are different types of killies common all
over the United States so adding a local variety to your own
lake should not be to hard. They are prolific, colorful and
very durable. All in all they make an excellent
pond/lake/aquarium species. I went with three types of
local killies that I could collect locally with relative
ease and which met the conditions and needs of Fox Den
Lake. I chose golden topminnow (Fundulus chrysotus) a
colorful tough Killie that grows up to four inches in size.
My second choice was a killie (Fundulus cingalatus) my
daughter calls the pink lemonade fish because of it's pink
fins and brilliant displays in the home Aquarium .While
just as durable as the golden topminnow this species remains
well under three inches in size. I also added (Fundulus
escambia) a hefty durable killie which quickly established
itself in my lake. You of course have Killies near you
that are equally suitable to the task. Check out the
Peterson's Field Guide to Freshwater Fishes by Larry Page
and Brooks M. Burr for species in your area. Do yourself ,
your lake and your fish a favor only use species from your
area. Importing non local species can have devastating
results.
Finally I added a small sunfish to bridge the gap between
the sport fishes and the other "forage fishes". I chose the
Dollar Sunfish (Lepomis marginatus). This 5 inch and under
southern sunfish is a beautiful addition to any home
aquarium , pond or lake. He is easy to keep and very
prolific. Bass find these small-mid size sunfish their
preferred forage. For those of you in the northern half of
the United States the orange spot sunfish fills the same
role . I highly recommend you collect either or both species
for your lake/pond or aquarium. They are personable
beautiful and easy to keep.
I collected two dozen plus of each individual "forage "
species and released them in a shallow oxbow in the corner
of the lake. Within ninety days I was able to collect
young and juveniles of all species with a dipnet. Now over
a year later the killies have begun to surpass the gambusia
in numbers. The Dollar sunfish have propagated and are now
numerous. A walk along the shore will reveal flashes of
color as killies and sunfish dart along the surface and the
bottom. The bass and bluegill have tapped into these new
food sources and wait just below the drop off for someone
to cross the line. You can hear the splash as they
lunge towards a killie or Dollar sunnie that has gone just a
bit to far in search of food or a mate.
Once I realized the killies and company were prospering in
their new home I took the final steps. I purchased
crawdads from my local seafood market and released about
forty pounds of the beasts (red swamp crawfish) into the
lake. They are strictly scavengers and vegetarians and
provide an excellent clean up crew in the lake while
providing top notch forage. Red swamp crayfish are local for
me , I am sure you have a suitable species that you can
collect or purchase locally. Find a good local species and
use `em they will do the trick. Don't get brave and add a
non local crayfish species the risk is too high. About one
month later I went sport fishing at several local
locations and over the next 4 or 5 weeks brought back live
fish to stock the lake. I brought back thirty six adult
bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus ) and eighteen 10-14 inch
Largemouth bass ( Micropterus salmoides ). All
specimens were immediately released upon my arrival home.
I also began a regimen of weekly feedings. The gentleman
who owned the local seafood market would collect the
scraps for me and once a week I'd feed the fish about one
five gallon bucket of scraps. The results were astounding
. All of the fish spawned within a few weeks of their
arrival and by mid summer two inch bass and bream were
everywhere. Even a bigger surprise to me was the growth
rate . With the year around warm weather and regular food
the fish grew at a fantastic rate. The first spawns were
sexually mature by fall. By early winter the size and
number of fish had increased so much that regular fishing
could be resumed.
Even more amazing was the change in the lakes condition. The
huge floating mats of algae disappeared. The nitrates began
to drop and the eel grass acted as a filter bed keeping the
yard waste and sediments from causing huge fluctuations in
the lake's fertility. The lily pads did their job. They
provided cover from the sun stopping the solar panel effect.
The lakes summer water temperature dropped a full five
degrees. The lake no longer suffered from unexplained
summer die offs . Leopard frogs and bullfrogs began to
appear, adding music and diversity to this once
barren landscape. Kingfishers, egrets, herons and ospreys
all made the stop over for an occasional meal as they
headed on to their unknown destinations. I found myself
spending more and more time outside just watching . Soaking
up the beauty nature provides.
Now my children catch bluegill to the point of boredom.
bream as large as a pound have been taken out of the lake
Just last week I caught and released a 3 and a half
pound largemouth bass. So the process has gone from planting
in this lake garden of mine to tending. I have added a few
redfin pickerel (Esox americanus) to keep the bluegill
population under control. I have tried my best to keep
the fishing at a managed level, chasing the fence jumpers
away and encouraging the serious bass fisherman to knock
on the door any time they feel the urge. This fall I
plan on making my last addition , channel catfish. I have
placed homes for them in all the deep holes and with the
increase in cover, killies and bream they should find a
suitable home. I am confident that old Mr. Catfish , like
the others, will settle down here and find lowly Fox Den
Lake the kind of place to raise a family .
If you are interested in native fishes I recommend you check
into the Native Fish Conservancy a not for profit
conservation organization dedicated to serving the needs of
native fish. The NFC welcomes Aquarist and amateur
naturalists to join this broad based organization.
<A HREF="http://nativefish.interspeed.net/">Native Fish Conservancy
Homepage</A>
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Robert Rice
Help Preserve our Aquatic Heritage join the Native Fish Conservancy
online
at our website http://nativefish.interspeed.net/