Zebra mussels in Forest Lake

[tunrevir]

Well it has been confirmed there are now zebra mussels in Forest Lake.  It sounds as if they have been found on both the 1st and third lake basins near the boat launches.  Short term they may have a positive effect on the water clarity and possibly even the fishery as they filter the water I foresee increased predation on the smaller panfish but eventually the lack of plankton will lead to a decrease in the amount of fish the lake can support.  The real pain will be to the homeowners around the lake dealing with zeeb encrusted docks, boatlifts and irrigation pipes.  It will be interesting to see how the fishery changes in the coming years and what problems will arise from these invasive species.  Check your boats well, remove drain plugs and livewell plugs, discard unused bait in the trash or have water ready on hand to transfer your bait into.  Pressure wash your rigs if you are able and let them dry for at least 5 days after being in an infested water.  These are some of the DNR guidelines for boating on infested waters.  It is a sad day, time will tell what effect this will have on the lake.

Tunrevir~