$3.5 million renovation planned for Linn County’s largest lake

PALO - Linn County's largest and most popular lake will undergo a $3.5 million renovation this year, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources has announced.

Rock armor on 6 miles of shoreline and more diverse nearshore aquatic habitat will improve both fish reproduction and fishing in the 410-acre Pleasant Creek Lake, said DNR fisheries biologist Paul Sleeper, who will coordinate the project.

'We've been planning this for years, and it is finally coming to fruition,” said Sleeper, who with other DNR employees will present details and elicit feedback at a public meeting Monday evening.

The idea is to create better habitat for fish and more spots where anglers can connect with them, Sleeper said.

'It is time. The lake needs more fish structure and habitat,” said Joan Flecksing, manager of the 1,927-acre Pleasant Creek State Recreation Area that surrounds the lake.

Flecksing said the park, typically among the state's 10 most popular, has been drawing more than 500,000 visitors a year.

That should increase, she said, when the renovation is complete.

'Water is the biggest attraction for parks,” she said.

Sleeper said both water quality and fishing generally have been above average since the lake was constructed in the late 1970s, primarily because of a watershed that is only four times larger than the surface of the lake.

But wave action has eroded shorelines, causing silt to settle in the nearshore areas that fish prefer for spawning.

'It's not as good as it could be. It's not reaching its potential,” he said.

Sleeper estimated that 40,000 cubic yards of lake bed material will be rearranged to create more diversity in depth and bottom content.

'Instead of a large, shallow shoreline shelf, we'll have deeper areas that will be better for bank anglers,” he said.

Thousands of rock piles, trees and brush piles will create additional fish habitat, he said.

Sleeper said the lake level will be lowered about 15 feet starting in late August to accommodate earth-moving equipment and trucks delivering riprap for the shoreline. Work will begin in the fall with completion expected around May 2016.

The main boat ramp will be extended so boats can continue to access the lake during the drawdown, he said.

With fish concentrated in a much smaller area, fishing should be excellent, he said.

The project will be funded primarily by the state's Lake Restoration Program,

'People who know the lake and fish it often do well. Occasional visitors should be able to catch more fish after the renovation,” said Matt Schrantz, proprietor of Palo Outdoors, which sells bait and tackle to many Pleasant Creek anglers.

Chad Smith, president of the Cedar Rapids Bassmasters fishing club, said members are looking forward to a revitalized lake.

The public meeting is scheduled from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Monday at Linn County's Wickiup Hill Learning Center, 10260 Morris Hills Road in Toddville.

A similar project was completed at Lake Macbride in 2002. Water quality, fish habitat, lake access and angler success have greatly improved.