Eagle Lake restoration example of effective partnerships

MCC members worked with MDWFP officials in 2006 to improve the fish habitat at Eagle Lake.

The Magnolia Crappie Club, in cooperation with MDWFP, undertook a massive lake-restoration project back in 2006 at Eagle Lake. Let me tell you about it.

Initially, we caught as many brood-size crappie as we could out of Chotard, and MDWFP collected these fish in their live-haul truck and carried them to Eagle. We did this twice — held a couple of Fruit Jar tournaments, kept all our fish alive and gladly turned them over to MDWFP.

Then we really went to work. Meeting on a cool November day, we had MCC members from three states volunteer both sweat and supplies. As I recall, we had 50 or more people show up on that cool November day with tools and great get-’er-done attitudes.

MDWFP brought their barge, and before the day was done we had assembled and sunk more than 100 huge, “as big as we could build them” fish structures.

Additionally, MDWFP stocked hatchery-raised crappie by the thousands back into Eagle Lake for several years.

This restoration project was a great example of what we can do acting as stewards and protectors of our fishing resources by working cooperatively with our state agencies.Thank you MDWFP and the Magnolia Crappie Club.

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