Hunter Martin

English IV

Wilson

04/27/18

Combatting Lakes Conservation Issues

Thesis: It is crucial to bring attention to the issues lakes and its inhabitants can face, and how

man-made enhancements (a fishing trail, in this case) can be beneficial accessories to lakes.

I. What are some issues that lakes and their inhabitants face?

II. What is a fishing trail?

A. How much planning is behind it?

B. How is it constructed?

III. How is a fishing trail beneficial?

A. How is it beneficial to the community?

B. How it is beneficial to the lake?

IV. What lasting impact will this project bring?

A. What lasting effect physically?

B. What lasting Effect in the community?

V. Conclusion
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Hunter Martin

English IV

Wilson

04/27/18

Combatting Lake Conservation Issues

As time passes, we are no longer introducing new reservoirs and lakes to communities,

continuing to use the old ones for recreational activities. As these lakes age the lakes and their

inhabitants are fighting many problems within their ecosystems. Many organizations have

stepped into action and are combating the issue as well as they can; however, it is a slow

progress, requiring some trial and error, with the end goal to remove the negative (whether that

be an invasive species of plant, or some other issue) and keep the native plants healthy and

living. It is an incredibly hard process to do this in a way that is safe for the wildlife and the

people who may rely on the lake for clean drinking water. It is crucial to bring attention to the

issues lakes and its inhabitants can face, and how man-made enhancements (a fishing trail, in this

case) is a beneficial accessory to lakes.

In order to protect and cultivate these small lakes and their ecosystems, it is necessary to

understand them and the issues they face. Approximately seventy-two percent of our planet is

water, with ninety-seven percent of that being saltwater, another two percent is frozen in ice caps

and glaciers, leaving one percent (half being below ground, and only a staggering one-tenth
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being freshwater lakes and rivers that the world gets our water from). To supply the world clean

the required amount of drinking water (Fetter). Because of this, the CDC reports that as many as

780 million people worldwide don't have access to a reliable clean water source. Since we have

such a small amount of available freshwater it is essential that we care for what we have. To do

that we fund organizations that research and repair issues at the state level, thus, North Carolina

Fish and Wildlife was created in 1947 by the N.C. General Assembly. “The organization gets its

funds from selling fishing and hunting licenses, federal grants, and other receipts, giving the

budget approximately 65 million dollars a year” (About North Carolina Wildlife Resources

Commission). These organizations are necessary to protect our lakes and their inhabitants; they

have 580 employees (About North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission) working to learn

and combat these issues.

As these lakes age, the natural structure and water quality is constantly depreciating,

causing a failing habitat for the fish. These issues severely affect the wildlife and their habitats

who rely on the lake. One possible solution to lakes having a failing structure system, is to

introduce new structure, whether it be found in nature or man-made. People have added their

own structures for years. While it is illegal in public waters, dropping christmas trees is a tactic

that most fisherman have heard of. The reason that this works is

As woody plant tissue decomposes, Mother Nature jumpstarts a whole new series

of vegetation at the lowest levels of life such as phytoplankton and various algaes.

Zooplankton, also known as water fleas, populate and forage on the new
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vegetation, attracting small insects, mussels, snails, and crayfish who also eat on

the phyto and zooplankton. The abundance of life then attracts small, non-

predatory fish that eat on the small insects or zooplankton, and the larger, predator

species we cherish. As the saying goes, Find the Bait, and You’ll Find the Fish

(Luck).

As he says, the process of dropping these will attract the bait, which attracts the larger fish that

anglers want to catch. While this is illegal in public waters because without proper regulation

people could place things in an improper area or failing to calculate for water fluctuations which

could cause the structures to be to shallow and damaging boats . this tactic is used for new

structure on private ponds all the time, and even occurs in public lakes regardless.

There are still plenty of ideas that would add structure to the lake and they are legal with

lake permission. Something similar that has been on the rise lately is what is called a “fishing

trail” a fishing trail is a cluster of structures that attract bait fish, in turn attracting larger fish,

these structures are built above land and then dropped into the water, they are then marked on a

map and by buoys so that members of the public can find them. These trails are a new idea with

the only ones in North Carolina being at Oak Hollow Lake, Winston-Salem NC; Cane Creek,

Birmingham NC; and Lake Thomalex in Davidson County NC. These trails have been

introduced over the last two years. NC Bass have been apart of all three, and Bill Frazier, the

conservation director for NC Bass, has been a big part and the founder of this idea. Mr. Frazier

has an extensive knowledge of all the planning behind one of these projects, he has explained
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that it takes many trips of sonar scanning to make a highly detailed map of the lake floor, that

way he can find the best possible site for a structure. After that he and groups of volunteers will

build and place the structures under the supervision of NC Fish and Wildlife, who then come

behind and mark and buoy each area, the last stage of this process(Frazier). These fishing trails

will last for years and even though they a relatively new, they are attracting fish as they are

supposed to, and doing it well.

These fishing trails are not only beneficial to the lake and its wildlife, but to the

community as well. According to Mr. Frazier “Cane Creek doubled their profits when the trail

was introduced”. Each trail has had several local articles, one even making it into Bassmaster

Magazine. They have an extreme boost on recreational fishing, and have brought in fisherman

from other parts of the state just to try the trail for themselves (Frazier). This will bring in money

to the community's park and recreation department, providing necessary funding for future

projects and maintenance on current projects. It will also greatly improve recreational and

competitive fishing at the lake, anyone can use these fishing trails no matter how skilled or

unskilled they are. According to Mr. Frazier, “The trail can be used to teach new anglers how

bass move with lake turnover and temperature changes.” one of the earlier trails even has an

instructional brochure that will give the fisherman a map of spots, what seasons they are most

likely to hold fish, and what lures are most successful. These trails are truly extremely beneficial

in multiple ways, whether it be the lake itself, the residents of the community who enjoy
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recreational or competitive fishing. There are no losers in implementing one of these trails as

they are fairly cheap and extremely beneficial.

These trails have a lasting impact in several ways, both physically in the lake and in the

community. The trails should be functional for several years and will only improve with time as

natural algae and plants grow along the sides of the areas. They have been proven to double lake

sales and draw an immense interest of the community and surrounding communities. Mr. Frazier

has said that he believes these trails are truly the future for reservoirs looking to improve quality

of fishing and that he expects them to be in much higher regulation within a short amount of

time. These projects are truly successful at enhancing fishing in struggling reservoirs, and soon

may be frequent among lakes; however, for now are a sought after experiment that is happening

right here in North Carolina for us to enjoy.

Works Cited

“About North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission.” North Carolina Wildlife

Resources Commission, N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, Jan. 2018,

ncwildlife.org/About.
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Fetter, Jennifer. “The Water We Drink.” Penn State Extension, 8 Oct. 2016,

extension.psu.edu/the-water-we-drink.

Frazier, Bill. Personal Interview. 17 February 2018.

Global Water, Sanitation, & Hygiene (WASH).” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, US

Department of Health & Human Services, 11 Apr. 2016,

www.cdc.gov/healthywater/global/wash_statistics.html.

Luck, Allen. “Christmas Trees for Improved Fish Habitat.” Keep America Fishing, 2016,

keepamericafishing.org/christmas-trees-for-improved-fish-habitat/.