By the US Bureau of Reclamation:
As the sun began to set at East Park Reservoir, an angler stood on the bow of a fishing boat, casting her line in hopes of reeling in a largemouth bass. After casting several times, she excitedly yelled, “Got one!”
As she reeled in her line, you could see the excitement on her face as she landed a 4.5-pound bass. “What a fun fight!” she said as she brought the fish onboard the boat to remove the hook and place it gently back into the water.
This scene would not have been possible two years ago during one of the worst droughts in California’s history. As lake levels dropped across the state, the decision was made to make much needed repairs to the East Park Dam. Located in Colusa County, about 33 miles southwest of the town of Orland, East Park Dam was completed in 1910 and is the Bureau of Reclamation’s oldest and smallest water delivery project in California. The 139-foot, historic dam needed repairs to its regulating gate and with water levels low due to drought, Reclamation capitalized on the opportunity to complete the work.
Once the repairs were complete, Reclamation and partner, Colusa County, turned their attention to boosting the fishery which had seen decreases. Under the direction of Reclamations, Derek Rupert, a fish biologist, and in close coordination with Colusa County, careful research and planning lead to the fishery restocking effort. The process started by adding largemouth bass, bluegill, redear sunfish, channel catfish, fathead minnows, and mosquitofish to the reservoir. Sacramento blackfish adults were also added, representing the first time the native California species had been stocked in the reservoir. The restocking program has resulted in an increase of biodiversity with more than 170,000 fish being added to the reservoir.
“After restocking the reservoir, we would come back every few months to see what fish we could catch,” said Rupert. “We started to see brand new fry that had been born in the lake. It was really satisfying to see the populations rebound so quickly.”
Two years later, East Park Reservoir’s fishery has been restored to its former glory. “It has been a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to bolster this type of fishery, where we ensure we stock the right fish assembly and monitor their progress from fry (baby fish) to adults,” said Rupert.
Recently, on the two-year anniversary of the last fish being stocked at East Park Reservoir, staff with Reclamation, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and Colusa County headed back to the reservoir with an electro fishing boat. Electro fishing uses electrical current to stun the fish momentarily and allows staff to net the fish and bring them into the boat for studying purposes. “After we collect our data, we are able to return the fish to the water and they go about their business,” said Rupert.
The East Park Reservoir restock succeeded through the participation and support by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Colusa County, the Bureau of Reclamation, the Orland Water Users Group and the Westside Anglers Bass Club and GrowWest both of whom donated bass and crappie to the restocking effort.
“This project has definitely met my expectations,” said Rupert. “Going from fry to nearly 5-pound bass in just two years is really exciting to me. I can’t wait to come back next year and do some fishing and maybe catch some real big, beautiful bass.”
The reservoir is now open for catch and release fishing, camping and water sports. Learn more at the county of Colusa’s website at www.visitcolusacounty.com/reservations/
A video about the restocking efforts can be viewed at: https://youtu.be/AJILxvclKiY and a photo gallery can be accessed at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/usbr/albums/72177720318737201/
For more information, please contact Colusa County Public Works Marking and Administrative Specialist, Elly Gutierrez at egutierrez@countyofcolusa.com or Reclamation’s Public Affairs Specialist, Michael Burke at mburke@usbr.gov.
