Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - September/October 2022 - Cover2

Rebuilding Somerset Lake from the Ground Up
VOLUNTARY PERMITS FEATURED PROJECTS:
by Mike Parker
Communications Director
Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission
I
f it is true that good things come to those who wait, then
anglers and boaters have a lot of good things to look forward
to at Somerset Lake, Somerset County.
On June 10, when the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission
(PFBC) officially reopened the 253-acre lake, it was the first time
in nearly 10 years that the lake was filling back up instead of
draining. The reopening, which was celebrated lakeside by local,
state, and federal partners, was the culmination of an $8 million
dam rehabilitation project that was necessary after excessive dam
seepage was detected in January 2012. If the immediate partial
drawdown of the lake at that time was not discouraging enough
for the local community, the true heartbreak was felt when the
region's premier warmwater fishery was completely drained in
October 2017.
While the dry lakebed that was on display throughout the
lengthy dam construction period was a bleak sight for many,
PFBC habitat crews saw unprecedented opportunity.
" Unfortunately, with having the lake drawn down, you lose
your lake for a little bit, " said Ben Page, PFBC Lake Habitat Section
Chief. " But, it is a perfect opportunity for us as habitat managers
for a fisheries agency to improve that fish habitat. It is a once-in-alifetime
opportunity for us to drive heavy machinery down on the
lake bottom and add large amounts of rock and wood that will be
utilized by that future fishery, " said Page.
To fund a portion of the large-scale habitat enhancement
project at Somerset Lake, the PFBC allocated $20,000 from
Voluntary Bass Permits sold during the 2021 season. While the
voluntary permit dollars alone were not nearly enough, those
funds were multiplied when paired with funds raised by the local
Somerset Lake Action Committee, Somerset County Sportsmen's
League, and a grant from the National Fish Habitat Partnership
supported by the Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies and
United States Fish and Wildlife Service. With the addition of
donated materials, equipment, and labor from volunteers and the
Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission, more than $168,000 was
raised for the two-phase habitat project.
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Pennsylvania Angler & Boater
Camden Conner, Conner Cramer, and Gino Tieteman were
ready to help stock Somerset Lake, Somerset County, during
the official reopening of the lake on June 10, 2022.
Under phase one, heavy equipment was used to construct
large artificial habitat structures including post clusters, rock
rubble reefs, and spider humps made of wood and stone. Natural
habitat materials such as felled shoreline trees and root wads were
incorporated into the design where possible. Phase Two, which
will occur once the lake has refilled, will include sinking hundreds
of wooden short vertical plank structures weighted with cinder
blocks into the depths of the lake where habitat is otherwise sparse.
In a short time, these hemlock structures will be covered with algae
and kickstart a food web that will include invertebrates, panfish,
Channel Catfish, Largemouth Bass, Muskellunge, and Walleyes.
" As a benefit to our anglers, we map all of these sites on maps
that are located on the PFBC website, fishandboat.com. So, once
this lake is full and the structures are underwater, you can locate
the sites with your GPS. We have information on the depth and
structure type, and now, you have a fishing hot spot when you
take your family out onto the lake, " said Page.
While fishing is permitted at Somerset Lake, the lake will
continue to be managed under the PFBC's Catch and Release
Lakes Program for all fish species until the completion of the
multi-year restocking plan.
fishandboat.com
photos-Mike Parker
http://fishandboat.com http://www.fishandboat.com
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - September/October 2022

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