Big changes at Lake Ogallala

“Next year’’ for Lake Ogallala’s trout fishery has been an elusive catch for anglers.

The western Nebraska lake at the base of Lake McConaughy’s Kingsley Dam can produce a phenomenal trout fishery and big trout — but not consistently.

Big changes are coming, however, to Big Mac’s little brother.

The lake was lowered in September to allow the dredging of a 6,000-foot channel to improve water circulation and quality and enhance habitat in the Keystone portion of the reservoir. That work was completed Dec. 3, months ahead of schedule.

Rainbow trout will be restocked in late winter or early spring after water levels and habitat conditions stabilize. Darrol Eichner, the Nebraska Game and Parks regional fisheries manager at Ogallala, said yellow perch would also be stocked in spring.

Game and Parks fisheries biologists took advantage of the lowered lake to remove common carp, suckers, alewife and other undesirable fish species from the pool.

Lake Ogallala’s fishery is best when there is an abundance of submerged aquatic vegetation in the reservoir, said Daryl Bauer, the Game and Parks fisheries outreach manager in Lincoln.

Trout love to eat the “bugs’’ found in aquatic vegetation, Bauer said. Biologists have documented trout growth rates as high as an inch per month in Lake Ogallala.

Unfortunately, carp and suckers reduce the amount of submerged aquatic vegetation as they root up the plants when feeding. Carp and suckers in Lake Ogallala increase to the point where the trout fishery is harmed over time, Bauer said.

Several years ago, Game and Parks tried to improve the lake’s trout fishery by installing aeration systems in the north basin. The idea was to create a refuge for trout with water that would be cold enough and have enough oxygen for the species to survive when water quality was marginal or worse in late summer.

But during most of this decade there was marginal water quality for trout in Lake Ogallala during late summer and early fall because of low water levels in a warming Lake McConaughy.

McConaughy is owned and operated by Central Nebraska Public Power and Irrigation District, which draws down the reservoir every summer to deliver water to farmers in south central Nebraska. The water flows through Lake Ogallala.

Central is leading the current renovation project at Lake Ogallala. Partners include the Game and Parks Commission and Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality. Funding came from the Nebraska Environmental Trust and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Bauer said there has been a lot of research done on improving water quality in Lake Ogallala.

The installation of Central’s hydropower plant at Kingsley Dam changed the way water was drawn from McConaughy, Bauer said. McConaughy water flowing into Lake Ogallala used to be well-oxygenated and there were no problems.

Oxygen levels can be a real problem now, especially in late summer and early fall, he said. The spraying of water from the valve at the hydro plant is done to try to improve oxygen levels, but it only provides a marginal improvement, Bauer said.

Improved water levels in Lake McConaughy and other reservoirs upstream in Wyoming also are good news for Lake Ogallala, Bauer said.

Lake Ogallala was created when earth was removed to build Kingsley Dam. The lake is 1.5 miles long and a quarter-mile wide. It has about 5 miles of shoreline and covers about 320 acres.

A Game and Parks recreation area offers camping, boat ramps, a fish cleaning station and fishing piers for the disabled.

The only work remaining for the Lake Ogallala project is the planting of wetland grasses and other plants in March.

Bauer plans on excellent trout fishing at Lake Ogallala next year.

“We’ve been through a couple of renovations of Lake Ogallala and that’s one reason for my high hopes that the trout fishery will be great,’’ he said. “The fishery came back gangbusters each time. It’s just a matter of time.’’

Contact the writer:

444-1127, david.hendee@owh.com

« Sports - Outdoors

Share