Cedar Creek Draw Down

[rustedhook]

Some time back I read in the Sunday paper that they were going to draw down the lake again this year. Anybody know when they plan to do this?

rustedhook

[biggw]

Yes i have heard some diff. stories about that--best i can tell they want to kill some shad--i guess but who knows for sure.....

[kyfishing]

All I have to say is if you take out the shad you will have a lake like Beaver lake in Anderson Co. that you can catch tons of 14.75" fish but very few keepers.

[know1]

I thought the drawdown had something to do with building a marina and the beach, but I could be wrong.

[crappiepappy]

They've already dropped the sand for the beach ... but the signs are still up saying the beach is closed (though few pay much attention to them).
And what exactly is the need for a Marina ? If it rents boats, they're going to cost more than the average shoreline angler is willing to pay. If it has gas, it's unlikely to sell much, since most anglers pass a gas station before getting to the lake ... and they would have lower prices, anyway. If it sells baits/bait ... there's already bait stores nearby, or on the way, that would have a better selection and lower prices. Boat slip rental would be unnecessary ... who's going to leave their boat there, anyway.

IMHO
It hasn't become the "cash cow" that Lincoln County, or local businesses expected it to, anyway ... not yet, at least. Nor does it seem to be becoming the "trophy" fishery that it was intended to be. The introduction of, or lack of eradication of the Gizzard Shad has tipped the biomass balance. This seems to bode well in favor of the Catfish and Bass, to the demise of the Crappie and other panfish. Problem is, the Crappie/panfish can now breed themselves into an overwhelming number of stunted dinks. And they, in return, will compete with the small Bass (the future "lunkers") for food to grow on. It has already started .... Witness the removal of size limits for Crappie in 2008. Not that size limits, or even creel limits, has detered many anglers from taking them home .. already.
The lake is not that old, yet it appears to be on the decline ... production wise ... already. What exactly will putting a Marina there hope to accomplish ??

If someone didn't intentionally put Gizzard Shad into the lake ... then they obviously survived low water times, and Winters. What would lowering the lake, to kill off some of the Shad, do ?? ..... probably very little, if anything. If KDFWR wants to get rid of the current Shad population, or even dent it, then removing the laws against netting/using them could be the answer. Short of waiting until the bigger ones are spawning, and shocking them ... or adding yet another predator fish, like the Hybrid Striper ... both of which would cost the KDFWR ... I think allowing the netting/using of the lake's Shad population would put a serious dent in them.
Maybe they should put up a prize ... say, a nice Loomis/Curado rod/reel outfit ... and have a Shad Roundup Derby, prize going to the person that nets the most poundage in a given time period.
The only "other" idea I have, for improving the lake, is to have a Trash Roundup Derby ... with most pounds/volume of trash collected, from the lake & shoreline, winning a prize.

... cp

[rustedhook]

I Think the paper said the draw down was for weed control but I don't think it has a weed problem. Seems to me if you draw it down then you will get more.

rustedhook

[apb]

All I have to say is if you take out the shad you will have a lake like Beaver lake in Anderson Co. that you can catch tons of 14.75" fish but very few keepers.

Actually, if you leave too many shad in, you will impact the bass and other fish populations. Gizzards feed on the same stuff and the fry of other species, but do so more efficiently. Also, they grow quickly and soon become too large to be eaten by most fish in the lake. They also spend a good deal of the year over open water where they have few preditors. If you are not careful, you'll end up with a lake that is full of large Gizzards with nothing to feed on them. That is one reason that Hybrid Stripers have been introduced in some smaller lakes in KY (Guist Creek for example). They help to control the shad populations and keep the size down so that other species can also eat the shad.

Andrew

[MrSplitshot]

Actually, if you leave too many shad in, you will impact the bass and other fish populations. Gizzards feed on the same stuff and the fry of other species, but do so more efficiently. Also, they grow quickly and soon become too large to be eaten by most fish in the lake. They also spend a good deal of the year over open water where they have few preditors. If you are not careful, you'll end up with a lake that is full of large Gizzards with nothing to feed on them. That is one reason that Hybrid Stripers have been introduced in some smaller lakes in KY (Guist Creek for example). They help to control the shad populations and keep the size down so that other species can also eat the shad.

Andrew

Good post Andrew.

[fishbum]

All I have to say is if you take out the shad you will have a lake like Beaver lake in Anderson Co. that you can catch tons of 14.75" fish but very few keepers.

WRONG... Beaver Lake is recovering from a Shad Problem. Lots of good fish used to swim its waters. My personal best is a 8.2 from Beaver before they had Gizzard Shad. Today the bass are coming back and good fish to 6 pounds have been caught..Bigger ones are there. Gizzard shad do NOT help small lakes. They eat the plankton that baby fish need to survive, and compete for space with bluegills, crappie and bass. They get too big for bass to eat so in the end the lake suffers from the Gizzard Shad. Today Beaver is an excellent lake for crappie, bluegill and shellcrackers and the bass are growing just fine and will come back to make this lake one of the best.
GIZZARD SHAD do not make larger bass they just make smaller bluegills and crappie. I have fished several managed lakes that do not have gizzard shad and they are terrific lakes with QUALITY Bass in them. Much better than the small state lakes and better than Beaver was when it had Gizzard Shad in it.
There are trophies in Beaver Lake.. you just got to figure out where they are.
Jim Dicken