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FightingFather TimeBiologists Turn Back Clock at White Oak LakeARTICLE AND PHOTOS By RANDY ZELLERSEvery lake goes through cycles. When alake forms, newly flooded habitat producesexcellent conditions to grow fish. But as alake ages, cover rots away and silt covers thesharp edges that attract fish and fishermen.Managing fisheries is an uphill battleagainst Father Time, but through moneyand effort, many effects of age can beminimized.Biologists have been fighting the signsof time at Upper and Lower White Oaklakes for the last decade, and the results areimpressive.Cane CondosAt first glance, the lakes seem full ofcover. Boats barely maneuver aroundstumps in some areas, but those stickupsdon’t do much for fish.“Baitfish and predators such as bassand crappie need much more complexcover,” said Eric Brinkman, AGFC districtfisheries supervisor in Camden. “Theyneed something they can get in and hide. Asimple stump doesn’t offer that.”To increase habitat and offer anglersfishing hot spots, biologists have placedcrappie condos in both lakes. Twelve siteson Upper White Oak and 10 sites onLower White Oak have been enhancedwith a dozen condos each. The condos,made of switch cane and concrete, offerabundant cover for fish, but are less likelyto grab jigs and hooks than brush pilesmade from trees.“The segments of the cane stalks are fullof air, so the condo sits upright and spreadsout like an umbrella,” Brinkman said.Biologists marked these spots differently,so anglers can find them more easily.“In the past, we would put up a blue signon a nearby tree or on shore,” Brinkmansaid. “It gave you a general idea of wherethe structures were, but they could be upto 50 yards away from the sign. Now we’replacing buoys right in the center of thehabitat enhancements so anglers know rightwhere to fish.”Making Fish FoodAnother issue facing the lakes isdecreased plankton production, the baseof the food chain. The upper lake has beenfertilized since 1978, and the lower lakesince 1988 to increase plankton. But thelake’s pH is slightly acidic, which decreasesthe effectiveness of the fertilizer. To bringeverything back into balance, biologistshave added more than 2,300 tons of limeto the shoreline and water since 2004.“We apply the lime in Upper WhiteOak, which balances the pH of both lakes,”Brinkman said. “Balancing the pH of a lakeis like balancing the pH of a garden. We’rejust focused on fish, not corn or potatoes.”Lane ChangeHabitat wasn’t the only thing fadingat White Oak. The markers showingboaters safe trails through the stumps werein bad need of replacement. Accordingto Brinkman, re-marking boat lanes onLower White Oak began in 2009, and wascompleted earlier this year. Upper WhiteOak’s main boat lanes also should becompletely marked by next spring.“Many of the stumps that had markerson them have rotted, but in some cases thePVC marker had cracked or the rebar usedto fasten it to the stump had rusted away,”Brinkman said. “We’ve replaced the PVCpoles and color-coded them so anglers canfollow them easier. Markers on the leftside of the main boat lane (when facingupstream) are orange; ones on the right arewhite.”Fisheries biologists also placed buoyswith the same orange or white markingswhere they could not find a stump to placea PVC pole.“We placed 27 buoys on the lower lake,and I want to begin replacing a few of thepoles each year with buoys as funding isapproved,” Brinkman said.RIGHT: District Fisheries Supervisor EricBrinkman (left) and citizen’s advisory groupmember Bill Cates set crappie condos in UpperWhite Oak Lake.BOTTOM: Boat lanes should be completelyre-marked by next spring.20ARKANSAS WILDLIFE NOVEMBER • DECEMBER 2011