The Colusa County Board of Supervisors have agreed to help the Bureau of Reclamation in the restocking of fish at East Park Reservoir.
The recreation area, popular with anglers, suffered the unavoidable death of fish when the water was released to repair the gates that allow the water to flow through the 111-year-old dam.
The board on April 15 agreed to order $15,000 worth of Florida-strain Largemouth Bass from Willow Creek Fisheries.
Colusa County Chief Executive Officer Wendy Tyler said it may seem odd for the county to purchase fish amid a drought, but said the county wanted to make sure they were in line to secure the fish when they become available.
East Park Reservoir opened for recreation on April 15 with free admission the first week.
The reservation calendar opens on Friday with the season running through October.
While the reservoir is starting to refill with water, rebuilding the fishery in East Park will happen as soon as conditions in the reservoir support their survival, officials said.
The Florida Largemouth Bass grow to over 21 pounds and are popular with anglers because they have a faster growth rate than the Northern Bass and are much more aggressive, according to Willow Creek Fisheries. The Florida variety lives about 15 years, about double the lifespan of their Northern Bass counterparts. According to Willow Creek, the Largemouth bass will eat almost anything they can get their mouth around, including birds, snakes, frogs, and all other fishes, including bass. The company’s juvenile fish, called fingerlings, because they are the size of a human finger, will have been fed a diet of live foods to ensure they adapt perfectly to East Park when transferred.
The Bureau of Reclamation has proposed an aggressive restocking of freshwater fish between now and June.
The BOR plans to stock 5,000 juvenile Florida-strain Largemouth Bass (4-5 inches in length) and 10,000 large fry (2 inches).
The BOR also plan to stock 5,000 adult, 10,000 juvenile, and 50,000 fry Bluegill; 1,000 adult, 5,000 Juvenile, and 10,000 fry Redear; 30,000 mosquito fish; 45,000 adult Fathead Minnow; 800 adult Blackfish; and 5,000 juvenile (3-5 inch) and 1,000 adult (12 inch) Channel Catfish.
Colusa County Department of Public Works, which manages the recreation on East Park Reservoir, requested the sole source purchase through Willow Creek Fisheries in order to stock the same strain as purchased by the Bureau.
Tyler said if the Florida-strain bass are not available this fiscal year, the county would carry over the cost in the 2022/2023 budget.
Eastpark Reservoir is open for day use and general camping. ■