Anniston, AL – The McClellan Development Authority (MDA) informed that in the morning of August 16 an official from Davis Fish Farms arrived at Lake Yahou with a truckload of fish and aquatic life including 3,200 Coppernose bluegill and 800 channel catfish along with twenty grass carp. This was the first phase of a strategy to ensure the health and vitality of Lake Yahou, guided by the guidelines from the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR ).
The summer of the year 2019 the the8-acre lake was home to 800 bass, in addition to minnows and bluegills as part of the community that it is. But, one year after the grand opening of Lake Yahou Park open to public access in the year 2022 it was the McClellan Development Authority (MDA) determined it was the right time to avail the free testing of lakes conducted through ADCNR’s Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division of the ADCNR.
On the 9th of May, 2023, biologists conducted an electrofishing study, employing low-voltage electric currents to temporarily imprison the fish population to research. This method, in conjunction with analysis of water samples, gave a clear image of the ecosystem in the lake for biologists, who suggested an scientific method to enhance the lake’s vegetal habitat as well as ecological equilibrium in a report of the MDA.
The findings of the study suggested practical solutions, like spreading agricultural limestone to regulate the pH of water (a process referred to as the process of liming) and initiating a fertilization plan aimed to encourage the growth of plankton and keeping the clarity of water within a area of between 18 and 24 inches. Biologists also suggested stocking channel catfish and grass carp to improve Lake Yahou’s aquatic food chain.
Based on the advice of the ADCNR the MDA began this program based on biology starting in the form of catfish and carp (and bigger bluegills for bass to take in) during this time. As winter draws near the MDA plans for the spread of agricultural limestone which will be followed by fertilization in summer of 2024. It’s a sensible method to sustain freshwater fishing which improves Lake Yahou’s health and quality just as its beauty.
Lake Yahou Park is currently exclusively a catch-and-release facility, however as the fish get older and mature, the MDA plans to permit select days for harvest, which is another ADCNR suggestion. A permit of $5 is required for fishing at Lake Yahou, which can be obtained at the MDA office located at 4975 Bains Gap Road, Anniston, AL.
