Lake recovery

[Yaker]

I just found out one of our local lakes will be getting a face lift.This lake is small ( 15 acres ),holds some sizable bass,gills and cats,crappie numbers are so so.Im rueing the idea the lake will be in for an extended recovery once it is refilled.
I'm not sure if the lake will undergo a restocking program,word has it the water level will be minimal with heavy fish loss.Any thoughts on recovery of a small lake once a major kill off has taken place?

[spoofhound]

i live in nw missouri and fish here and in sw iowa as well. these two states have it figured out when it comes to this and i have fished quite a few lakes that have had a make over so to speak. if the do it right, whatever that is, it will be good for you.

[doggone]

I can't remember for sure....seen it done a few times. If the water is fertile enough and everything is done right you can have catchable fish in three to four years. I am thinking 5 to 6 years is more realistic to allow harvesting and having several year classes of fish. It's been a while since I have fished anything very new. But I do remember a lot of ponds that was about the time span. I fished some pretty new impoundments in the sixties as a lad that where 10 years old or so....they were awesome fisheries by then. But we are talking extremely fertile waters,and the forage base for insects,crayfish, frogs and some minnow species was better then...

Depends on what size fish they stock,forage base,water fertility. Without looking it up I think it takes three years for a fingerling crappie to reach 10 inches around here.

[Ketchn]

depending on a terribly high number of variables it could be way better or way worse . I have seen some that were great after draw downs and some that were not so much .
hope yours turns out well ......some fish might survive the draw down , depends on what time of year its really low and how low for how long .

[Yaker]

Thanks guys,if my memory is correct,this lake was drained completely in the early 80's.