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HARRISBURG, Pa. (Oct. 25) – The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) announced today that it will begin drawing down High Point Lake in southwest Pennsylvania this week in order to control vegetation growth.
High Point Lake is located in Elk Lick Township in southern Somerset County. The winter drawdown will begin October 26 and will continue until March 2017.
“Drawdowns are used to manage aquatic plant growth and fish population,” said Area Fisheries Manager Rick Lorson. “Aquatic plants provide very good habitat for both young and adult fish. However, too much vegetation, with surface area coverage exceeding 30 percent of a lake, can impact fishing and has the potential to disrupt the balance of fish populations in a lake. Proactively managing the vegetation will help to maintain quality fishing at the lake.”
Drawdowns have been used previously at several lakes and have been effective at reducing aquatic plant surface coverage. The surface growth at High Point was reduced by an average of 78 percent after winter drawdowns in 2008, 2010 and 2012.
High Point will be drawn down by approximately 10 feet and held there over the winter months. The lake will remain open for fishing during the drawdown period, but anglers fishing from the shore should be prepared for muddy conditions. Boating will be limited to light craft, carry-in boats. Trailer-boat access will be very limited during the drawdown period.
The PFBC will examine the aquatic plant levels in the lake in August 2017. The fish populations were sampled in 2015 and 2016. Results can be found at http://pfbc.pa.gov/images/reports/2016bio/8x07_15highpoint.pdf.
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