Sad condition of Lake Wilson

[kaapeha173]

Been on the Lake 10 outings in the last 2 weeks, I must admit that the approvements to the Park and to the dock are quite nice. However, I am extremely disappointed with the fishing. From 2007 to 2015 the fishing on Lake Wilson was exceptional. I could bring guest to the lake and fish a combination of live bait and lures and produce 50 to 100 catch days during the months May thru October. Huge boils of both peacock bass and large mouth bass feeding on shad were a common site on warm early evenings

Over the last 2 years, the fish population and catch rate has gone down significantly. On August 14, 2017 from 10:00 am to 6:30 pm, I caught 3 peacock bass, 2 Red Devils, and no large mouth bass. The boils that were common during the warm months are now non existent and what is astonishing is there are very few Red Devils in the shallows of the lake. During the 2 week period from 8/1/17 to 8/16/17. I caught no largemouth bass and no blue gills.

Approximately two years ago, I could see this situation happening to the fishery. During the spawning season, the fish would spawn along the shoreline. The lake levels would be dropped quite fast and to a very low level; thus, killing off the the new spawning beds. I think this is the major reason why there are very few fish left in the lake? Red Devils use to spawn in the high grass because it was a protected area, now the water level is 10 yards below the grass. There are also very few schools of shad on the lake, the main source of forage for the preditors.

Lake Wilson for a period of 10 years after the Salvinia clean up was probably one of the 10 best freshwater fishing lakes in the nation. On the weekends during the summer months, there would as many as 10 boats out on the water and several people fishing along the shoreline. I find it really pathetic that the Department of Land and Natural Resources would destroy such a wonderful resource? The lake is now only a shell of itself with several homeless camps and littered with debris.

Even the Korean men that were a permanent fixture fishing along the shoreline are now gone along with the fish, how sad.

[OO7:BASSINASSASSIN]

I totally agree. Even before and during the S. Molesta infestation the fishing was better. Like I said in the previous post, the tucunare fishery was the one resource I thought the DNLR could not screw up, but they did. All lake Wilson is good for these days is flood control and home for the homeless bums.