When Okhissa Lake closed last November for a drawdown, Homochitto National Forest Ranger Shaun Williamson had two main goals: improve fisheries and knock back invasive plants.
Now, halfway through the project, he said it’s proving to be a success.
“To me this was more of a fisheries plan and to get that giant salvinia under control, and I think for both we’ve done fairly well,” he said Monday.
At the south ramp, the drawdown looks dramatic. The 1,100-acre lake — which is 80 feet at the deepest — has been lowered 20 feet. Vast areas once underwater are now exposed and choked with summer vegetation, just as Williamson was hoping.
“When we bring that water back, you’ll see wonderful fish habitat,” he said.
The sedges, rushes, sesbania and other growth will provide food and shelter for fish — and fertilizer as it decomposes.
“The greenery will break down and naturally fertilize the lake,” Williamson said.
Crappie spawns generally follow a drawdown. At Okhissa they’ve already spawned once and should do so again before the lake reopens in mid-March.
The U.S. Forest Service also added 250,000 to 300,000 panfish to the lake.
“We put in gizzard shad as a new prey species,” Williamson said.
The Forest Service sprayed giant salvinia and other invasive nonnative vegetation with herbicide. Previously the entire network of coves off the south ramp had been roped off to prevent salvinia from spreading into the main lake.
Cold weather killed a lot too when the drawdown exposed the floating plants. The Forest Service opened the gate Jan. 10 in the middle of a cold spell to start the draining process.
“That seemed to have hammered it,” Williamson said. “I have yet to find any. Don’t get me wrong, we didn’t get rid of it. But we really knocked it way back.”
Another benefit to the drawdown should be to attract waterfowl to all the green “duck food.”
“I’m hoping they’ll tornado down like they do in the Delta,” Williamson said.
The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks is scheduled to extend the south ramp next week so future drawdowns won’t affect accessibility.
Another project in the works is a kids’ fishing area in a big cove at the northwest corner of the lake. A large area will be netted off so fish can be stocked for special events.
Williamson plans to put walkways and benches along the cove, which comes up near the road.
“While the kids like to run around and enjoy it, the adults need a place to sit and relax,” he said.
The north ramp and adjacent area are now owned by Scenic Rivers Development Alliance, a state agency that plans to add a lodge and convention center. Those plans are unrelated to the drawdown, Williamson said.
At the dam, a large swath of land that was once underwater is now lush and green. To prevent erosion there early on, Forest Service personnel planted ryegrass, which has since been replaced by summer growth.
One problem the Forest Service encountered was a leak in the main gate, which is a metal rectangle in the riser 20 feet below the normal surface; a secondary gate is located 10 feet higher.
When engineers were checking out the riser, they heard water running even though the main gate was closed. They walked through the tunnel under the dam, which had an inch or so of water running through it, and discovered water spraying around the gate.
A follow-up inspection a week later revealed the four corners didn’t fit snugly.
“We will have a dive team come in in August and fix that,” Williamson said.
“Everybody said it should be an easy fix.”
Williamson sees no problem with the lake refilling by the opening date.
When it does open to the public, “you’re going to get that new-lake effect and the fishing’s going to be spectacular for two months,” he said. “Then you’re going to teach the fish.”
