“I don't understand why you would wait until the bass fishery is ruined before taking another step introducing another predator fish, like walleye, pike, musky, hybrid stripped bass or even flathead catfish, all of which would help keep the shad population in check to some extent, combined with your lowering of the lake level.”
My first reaction to this is that it is probably all summed up in the first three words, where you said “I don’t understand…” Let’s just say you seem to understand differently. I’ve talked with the IDNR Biologist on this very idea for years, and they seem to have a different source of information than you do about how to best mange this particular fishery. Our fisheries management plan has been developed by the very capable folks out of the IDNR Avoca Fisheries office, who have a pretty good record at this sort of thing. With all due respect, I think we’ll stick with their advice for a while longer.
“In my opinion that's like driving your car without changing the oil thinking you won't change it until the engine locks up, and then at that point it is to late. Preventative maintenance is a good thing.”
Huh? Let’s look at this with another comparison. It is sort of like having a serious illness and your doctor begins a details series of tests to make sure you live as long as possible, prescribes some medicine and tells you a few things to do to help you feel better and make the best use of the time you have left. But your buddy Bubba at the bait shop thinks you should eat yellow root and wear your underwear on the outside of your cloths for a month. Who you going to listen to?
“If you wait until the bass fishery is ruined, then how is the park going to receive revenue because it is a well known fact that most go to Boggs to fish for bass, without bass the visitors will decline.”
Our most recent visitor survey was completed in 2004, and shows that only about 40% of our visitors fish while they are at the park, and a much smaller percentage target Bass. In fact, it was the reintroduction of shad and the biologists forcasts for the fishery which convinced us that we needed to rapidly build revenue streams that were not so tightly related to fishing. Today fishing of all types, provides about 20% of our revenue.
“I was also wondering if anything ever came about of the reward for the midnight stockers. Has the culprit been caught, any leads? If not, what was done with the money raised for the reward?”
We had a few leads on that but nothing that could be taken to court. The funds that were donated were used, as promised at the time, to assist in the purchase a new merry-go-round for a playground that should open in 2006. If you donated, the kids will thank you for you help.
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