Something is fishy at Lakes Walker, Hunt

Photo By Michael Williams | Bryan Fedrick and Capt. Grant Stone, a natural resources manager for the Mississippi National Guard, net fish in 2014 to measure size at Lake Walker. The seining determined bream overpopulation were keeping down the numbers of large bass in the lake, prompting revitalization efforts.  

JACKSON, MS, UNITED STATES

08.24.2016

Story by Staff Sgt. Michael Williams 

Joint Force Headquarters - Mississippi National Guard

Fishing the lakes on Camp Shelby and Camp McCain once made a recreational fisherman not want to return.
The bass were gone. That was all anglers knew at Hunt Lake on Camp McCain and Lake Walker on Camp Shelby. These were areas military service members would fish during their down time throughout their Annual Training period.
Not anymore. Things are turning around at the fishing venues for those who love the sport.
“The two lakes have not been managed in quite some time now,” said Bryan Fedrick, wildlife biologist with the Mississippi National Guard. “This was one of the first tasks I was given and with the help of others, we carefully looked into it.”
Mark Williams, a natural resources specialist at Camp McCain said they made some improvements at the post’s Hunt Lake, which is approximately 19 acres. In December 2011, environmental experts determined the lake was too shallow to fish.
“We dug out the bottom of the lake, drained it, and made some improvements,” said Williams. “We fixed the edges of banks and took out the weeds and we created a wave break and added a peninsula to provide a better fish habitat.”
“After filling it back up, we restocked it with bluegills and bass,” he said. “We did this for the morale of the Soldiers. Also the lake is open to the general public and want to continue a good relationship with the community.”
“So far, it’s really been successful. A lot of people are having good luck out there based off what our data sheets are saying,” said Williams.
For some it may sound funny, but small fish overcrowding is the cause of anglers not catching that one fish that makes a fishing rod bend over at Camp Shelby’s Lake Walker. Management of bass and bream populations requires maintaining a balance in the predator-prey relationship of the two species.
“One of the things people would tell you who are down here is that they weren’t catching any bass at Lake Walker,” said Fredrick.
“That’s because of bream overcrowding. The problem with that is they eat up all the small bass when they hatch so you don’t get any bass recruitment. So one of the management techniques that you do when your lake is bream overcrowded is do “winter drawdowns.”
Winter drawdowns is one of the most useful and inexpensive pond management practices. Water levels are reduced in a pond or lake, exposing nearly 50 percent of the pond-bottom area. This practice helps manipulate fish populations.
By reducing the water level and pond area, it drives forage fish, such as bluegills, out of shallow water refuges and concentrates them in open water, making them more available for bass to eat.
“You drawdown the winter levels in lakes starting in November and keep them down until February,” said Fedrick. “What this does is pull all those small bream out into deeper water so the bass are hammering on them all winter long.”
“So once we start reducing the number of bream, then there are less predators on your little bass. So we had to fix that situation,” he said.
Managing the drawdown, environmentalists are seeing an increase of small fish.
“Since we started the winter water level drawdown, we have started to see small bass swimming close to the banks,” said Fedrick. “Each year it has increased so we are getting back to where it needs to be.”
Now, when service members get free time to fish on Camp Shelby or McCain, their luck might pay off with a fish or two.
“We are off to a good start and we hope to make it better each year,” he said. “I’m already getting feedback now from people who have noticed a change and from people who have fished Walker before.”

• Date Taken: 08.24.2016
• Date Posted: 08.24.2016 17:10
• Story ID: 208068
• Location: JACKSON, MS, US