By Rob McNulty

Many of our residents enjoy a peaceful day on the lake. There has always been the curiosity of what is in the lake and how well the quality of the water and the fishery are doing. On Saturday, March 29th, The Friends of Norris Lake retained the services of Greg Grimes from Aquatic Environmental to find the answers to these questions. Greg Grimes is one of the most respected individuals in his field and manages well over 100 ponds and lakes throughout the state. Participating in the water quality and fish study were: Rob McNulty, Jan Collins, Miles Levi, Roy and Libby Fair, and Sherry Abts - President of FONL. The cost for the study was $750.00 and funded 100% by contributions from FONL membership.

Read the Complete Report by Aquascape Environmental

When Greg arrived he had informed us that he had been rear-ended within 2 miles of our community and had sustained some damage to his boat, trailer, and possibly his electronics onboard. We were able to successfully launch the boat after some bending, twisting, and pulling on the rig. Before we set out on our journey of getting some fish, Greg performed numerous water quality tests at Fishermen's Beach. Early indications of the samples taken were that the lake water was in excellent condition even given the fact of the silt discoloration. These initial tests provide a good basis for fish quality and growth rates. An extensive report will be submitted to the FONL within a few weeks of the exact composition of chemical analysis.

After the water quality tests were performed we set out to do some electro-shocking of the fish in the water. This test basically puts a DC charge of current into the water and stuns the fish. The fish float to the top of the water, are netted, put into a live well with oxygen, and analyzed. Most fish were returned back to the lake and are back in their happy homes. One of the fish that was not returned was a male Bass that weighed 6-11 but had some sores on it probably due to being hit by a boat-prop or attacked by an animal. Greg stated that males usually do not get larger than 6lbs and that based on the condition of the fish, it would have died soon anyway. Roy Fair did manage to keep about 12 shell crackers for a Saturday evening fish fry!

We primarily shocked along the east side of the lake due to equipment problems. We were able to get 100's of fish while working in this area. The shocking produced amazing results, most notably that the fish were in outstanding health with very good growth rates. The fish seemed to be at or above average in all areas. As expected the test produced a number of Largemouth Bass. We netted approximately 8 that were at least 5+ pounds. We saw 2 well over 10lbs but were not fast enough with the net to get them into the boat. They had enough strength to swim away dazed and confused. It appeared that we had a very good Bass spawn in 1999 and 2000, as these fish were extremely healthy and above average, most exceeding 3lbs. (They should be fun to catch.) While we had some of these Bass in our hands, we put small orange numbered tags into their backs to monitor their growth rates and health. If anyone does catch these fish, we ask that you check their length, weight, and general appearance return them back to the lake and call Rob McNulty or Jan Collins with your results. This study can have a vital impact on the siltation issues we are facing. Two of the fish we tagged were approximately 7lb females and could tempt the avid angler for a wall mount.

The shocking produced other results of interest as well. The lake appears to be well balanced with abundance of small bream, which are necessary for a trophy bass population. We also were able to find shiners, shad, herring, and darters, which are primarily creek chubs. We did get one small baitfish which was not common and was taken back for further testing. Perhaps an alarming result particularly for me is that we only obtained one small crappie during the entire testing. In previous years I have caught dozens of these fish. I have spoken with other anglers this spring and they too have noticed a dramatic drop-off of this species. The siltation issue could be having an impact on the reproduction cycle of these fish. We also found a good and healthy abundance of shell crackers, which are from the bream family. I rarely catch them and was fairly surprised to see so many of excellent quality. We also saw a few catfish but they generally are hard to shock primarily because they are a bottom feeder species. It was noted that we may want to consider stocking some of these fish as they normally do not reproduce in a lake of this size.

As we concluded the test I must say that it was fun watching Jan Collins net all those fish. She was like a kid in the candy store. Miles Mason was also very helpful picking up some strays as we motored along. The final report should be submitted from Greg in a few weeks and we will post his results on the web site. Greg did state that our lake seems to be in perfect balance both in quality and size. He also stated that our lake has been one of the best he has seen in the state for an overall analysis study. It is important that we continually check our lake periodically due to the siltation issues. Thanks to all of our community members for your contributions that allow us to continually support our lake. Finally, of course we did have to take some pictures just to relieve your curiosity.