GRDA’s effort to enhance fishing is growing … literally
The Grand River Dam Authority’s efforts to enhance fishing opportunities on its lakes are getting bigger … literally.
Those familiar with GRDA’s annual “rush for brush” projects know the size and shape of the thousands of artificial fish habitats that have been built over the years by lake area volunteers. Now, GRDA is planning to enlarge that initiative by building even larger structures for placement in many of the popular public fishing locations around Grand Lake.
GRDA Ecosystems Management Fisheries/Tournament Coordinator Brent Davis speaks to a group of schoolchildren about the types of fish that call the Grand River system their home. Year-round, the department works to promote the fishing and fisheries in Grand and Hudson lakes through efforts like a new habitat program for public fishing areas.
Using 55-gallon PVC barrels, four inch and one inch PVC pipe, GRDA will be constructing new habitats to be placed in specific areas around the waters of Grand Lake.
“In deeper waters, we plan to stack these structures two high,” said GRDA Fisheries/Tournament Coordinator Brent Davis. “That means there will be an artificial brush pile about 15 feet in diameter and maybe 10 to 12 feet high.”
One the large-size habitats are placed, Davis said GRDA plans to mark them with buoys and signage that will designate the areas as public fishing/habitat areas. GRDA also plans to include the GPS locations for the areas on its website to make it easier for visiting anglers to find the sites.
“They should be good attractants to catch crappie in spring,” added Davis. “They will hold a lot of fish.”
Of course, he added that the brush piles will also protect a lot of fish, so both fish and fishermen will see the benefits in the future. “It’s an important part of the GRDA mission to take care of the fisheries on our waters, and this is just one more way we can do that,” said Davis.
Stay tuned for more information on this new fisheries enhancement effort.
Headquartered in Vinita, GRDA is Oklahoma’s state-owned electric utility; fully funded by revenues from electric and water sales instead of taxes. Directly or indirectly, GRDA’s low-cost, reliable electricity touches75 of 77 counties in the state. At no cost to taxpayers, GRDA also manages 70,000 surface acres of lakes in the state, including Grand Lake, Lake Hudson and the W.R. Holway Reservoir. Today, GRDA’s 500 employees continue to produce the same “power for progress” that has benefited the state for 75 years.
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