LAKE DELTON – The first step in restoring de-watered Lake Delton’s fishery will be taken here Wednesday (Dec. 3) when the Department of Natural Resources attempts to remove carp from the area’s remaining surface waters.
Rotenone, a naturally occurring fish toxicant registered with the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will be used to kill invasive carp on the portion of Dell Creek flowing between Mirror Lake and Lake Delton and in a Coffer Dam Pool on the lakebed, said DNR fish biologist Tim Larson, Poynette.
Carp compete with native fish species, destroying aquatic habitat, roiling water and stirring up sediment, reducing water clarity.
Heavy rain last June caused a catastrophic breech of 267-acre Lake Delton at County Highway A and total dewatering into the nearby Wisconsin River. The Lake’s fishery was either flushed into the river or left stranded on the lakebed.
The Coffer Dam was built last August, forcing Dell Creek to exit the lakebed through the Lake Delton Dam and facilitate reconstructing County Highway A. Lake Delton was created by damming Dell Creek.
“This step (removing carp) will improve the future fishery of Lake Delton when it refills,” noted Andy Morton, Lower Wisconsin Basin Supervisor with DNR.
The dam on upstream Mirror Lake has been lowered by two feet, shutting off flow from the lake and reducing the volume of water remaining in Dell Creek. This will lower treatment cost because less chemical will be needed and with the reduced water areas the odds are increased towards achieving a total kill, according to Mr. Larson.
A screen has been inserted in place of the removed dam boards to prevent fish from Mirror Lake from being flushed downstream. Signs are posted in Mirror Lake State Park alerting visitors of the drawdown.
The $10,000 to $15,000 carp removal project is being funded by the Village of Lake Delton.
“The ideal situation for re-establishing Lake Delton’s fishery is to begin without any fish present and stock desirable species annually for several years until natural reproduction occurs in three to four years,” pointed out Mr. Larson.
Recommended stocking includes largemouth and smallmouth bass, walleye, bluegill, black crappie, channel catfish, fathead minnow, white sucker and golden shiner. All of these species were previously present in Lake Delton.
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
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