Missouri Department of Conservation Refurbishing Fish Habitat on Area Lakes

The Missouri Department of Conservation is coordinating a project for refurbishing Fish Habitat on Bull Shoals and Table Rock Lakes.

Kearby Bridges, one of the Stone County Agents for the Missouri Department of Conservation, says during a recent interview on the "At Your Service" Podcast that the department manages the habitat to help protect fish while they are growing which helps produce a large number of fish. 

According to a release from the MDC, the department received a grant in 2022 from Bass Pro Shops to replenish current habitat sites and and establish new sites. The grant covers 645 brush piles on Table Rock and 35 sites on Bull Shoals Lake. 

The complete release from the Missouri Department of Conservation is below as is the interview from the "At Your Service" Podcast with Kearby Bridges as well as with Christian County Agent Makayla Leppert:

According to the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC), they will be working with partners to refurbish fish habitat brush piles throughout Table Rock and Bull Shoals reservoirs and establishing new sites throughout the lakes. The project will be funded through a grant received by Bass Pro Shops to replenish and establish fish habitat sites. 

The habitat improvement project is currently underway and has resulted in the establishment of 2,024 fish habitat structures in Table Rock Lake and 193 in Bull Shoals Lake.

The MDC received the grant from Bass Pro Shops in 2022 to refurbish 645 of the brush piles on Table Rock and 35 sites on Bull Shoals to ensure they remain viable fish attractor locations. An underwater brush pile serves multiple roles for fish. It can provide nursery habitat and protective cover for some young fish, as well as attracting larger, predatory sportfish species such as crappie and bass. This conglomeration of fish, in turn, translates into great fishing spots for anglers.

MDC Fisheries Management Biologist Shane Bush, who manages Table Rock Lake states, “Table Rock and Bull Shoals are aging reservoirs and much of the woody structure in these lakes is deteriorating. Fish habitat projects like this one and the NFHI project allow MDC to be proactive in helping to maintain the quality fish populations these reservoirs have and ensure that fishing remains great for anglers in the future.”

The current project began in November 2022 and will continue through December of this year. So far, 371 brush piles have been rebuilt and 19 new brush piles have been established at Table Rock. At Bull Shoals, 27 brush piles have been rebuilt and six new brush piles have been added.

The GPS locations for these sites can be found on the MDC website at https://mdc.mo.gov/fishing/where-fish.