INDIANAPOLIS - The state is renovating West Boggs Lake — a once popular destination for bluegill and bass fishermen — near Loogootee in an effort to restore the lake’s previous fishing conditions and entice anglers and boaters to return.
The state plans to restock the 622-acre lake with game fish species in hopes of reversing a steady decline in recreational boating and angling at the lake in recent years. West Boggs Lake contributed an estimated $1.1 million to the local economy in 1999, but as the populations of unwanted fish species increased, its economic impact has declined to $326,000 per year, according to the Indiana Department of Natural Resources.
West Boggs has become overrun with gizzard shad, a fish that was introduced into the lake by humans, to the detriment of bass fishing. They also compete with bluegill and sunfish for food, DNR spokesman Phil Bloom said.
The lowering of the lake’s water level for the project has begun, said Michael Axsom, superintendent of the Daviess-Martin Joint County Parks.
Long-term the project will benefit West Boggs Park, where the lake is located, by putting the fish population back in balance, Axsom said. However, Axsom said in the short-term the renovation will disrupt operations.
“Fishing is a significant part of our visitation there at the property,” Axsom said. “It has not been for a few years now because the fishery is in pretty horrendous condition. I think this will revive that aspect of our tourism. I kind of hate to go through this to get there. That’s just part of it.”
Renovation is set to begin later this month. DNR staff will first remove adult bass and catfish from the lake, so they can be returned following the renovation. Then the pesticide rotenone will be applied to the West Boggs watershed to eradicate remaining fish. According to the DNR, rotenone “has virtually no effect on mammals and birds.”
The state will then restock the lake with nearly 750,000 bluegill, redear sunfish and largemouth bass, and then once those populations become established, predator fish, such as channel catfish and black crappie, will be introduced in about a year, Bloom said. The lake should refill in by the spring, Axsom said.
Better fishing opportunities at the lake will draw in more campers, said Joel Stoll, manager of Stoll’s Lakeview Restaurant that overlooks the lake and is affiliated with the park.
The view of the lake is what the restaurant is known for, so decreasing the water level affects the business’ draw, Stoll said.
“On the full scale of things, I think it will be a benefit,” Stoll said of the project.
State officials maintain the project will provide an economic boost. DNR data show recreational boating declined by 11 percent and the number of angler visits by 63 percent at West Boggs during a six-year period ending in 2010.
“The fisheries renovation will not only make for better fishing, but also has the ability to revitalize a small community,” said DNR fisheries supervisor Brian Schoenung in a prepared statement. “Small family-run businesses often depend on these anglers spending funds in their stores.”
The renovation process the state will follow at West Boggs has a good track record and is used across the country, Bloom said. Twenty years ago a renovation at the lake increased visits by 71 percent, according to DNR figures.
A cost estimate for the project was unavailable Thursday.