HAGERMAN, Idaho — Tucker Jeszke has been fishing his whole life. A few years ago he read about using artificial structure to create fish habitat in ponds and lakes. Now, for his Eagle Scout Project, he's helping the Idaho Department of Fish and Game improve fish habitat in a lake at the Hagerman Wildlife Management Area by sinking old Christmas trees.
- Sixty seven former Christmas trees were weighted and sunk in a lake in the Hagerman Wildlife Management Area.
- The trees provide cover for small fish as they grow, ultimately resulting in bigger bass for sport fishing.
- Permits are required for sinking anything in state-managed lakes.
- Fishing seasons and closures vary by water body, so it's always a good idea to check the regulationsbefore heading out.
(Below is the transcript from the broadcast story)
"I've caught a lot of good fish out of there," Tucker Jeszke said as we walked along the bank of Riley Pond in Hagerman.
For Jeszke, fishing is a way of life.
Living next to some well-loved fishing areas in Hagerman, Jeszke’s favorite sport fish is bass.
“They're very aggressive, you can use any number of lures … and you'll have a chance,” Jeszke said.
Bass eat smaller fish, but in a lot of these lakes, there aren't many places for smaller fish to hang out to become bigger fish.
“They'll hold onto the trees, riprap, stuff like that, but there's only so much that can be used,” Jeszke said. “So a lot of fish stunt out, which means that they'll stay small.”
A few years ago, Jeszke read about artificial structures for habitat.
Now, for his Eagle Scout project, Jeszke is sinking old Christmas trees, offering up a unique underwater oasis.
“We can see that all the fish just swim in under these trees and they'll have plenty of cover,” Jeske said.
"We have done this in the past in the region and statewide it gets used relatively often as a means to habitat," said Tucker Brauer, a regional fish biologist at Idaho Fish and Game.
Brauer says this method is becoming more common around the state and in lakes and reservoirs around the West.
"We're increasing the food and providing some refuge for fish so that they can continue to grow, survive longer and, hopefully, sustain that fishery in the long-term," Brauer said.
And just as everyone who loves fishing hopes to catch the big one, Jeszke is hoping this habitat project will produce more big ones down the line.
“This will give a lot more cover, which can hopefully fix the problem,” Jeszke said.
