There was a time when Raccoon Creek Lake was my home water. The dam was 12 miles from the house where I grew up, and in addition to bumming rides whenever I could, I rode my bicycle several times to fish its waters. Mostly I fished the Ohio River as it was much closer.
That was before I passed by driver’s test in 1980.
Once I had the “four-wheeled freedom truck,” I was at Raccoon whenever I had the time. I got to know the lake quite well, and along with a couple of friends, caught some pretty nice fish. Three- and 4-pound bass were common for Mike Stewart and I and 7- and 8-pounders turned up several times. We would paint large Rapalas all black so they would show up better against the night sky and caught big walleye at the drop off in front of the spillway.
Up until the valve malfunction in the early 1990s resulting in the draining of the lake, some very good fishing could be had for species other than trout. After the refilling of the lake and stocking of some brood fish and fry stockings, it took a few years for the fishing to rebound. Since that time, I have not fished the lake more than a handful of times a year, but still managed a decent catch. Saugeye more than 20 inches and tiger musky provided occasional thrills.
In 2004 a fish salvage effort at Dutch Fork Lake in Washington County resulted in hundreds of largemouth bass up to 4 pounds and many other large fish of different species being stocked in Raccoon. In ensuing years largemouth more than 7 pounds and a 22-pound channel catfish were caught.
A survey conducted by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission in 2008 found a good supply of gamefish in the lake. Walleye up to 26 inches, saugeye up to 20 inches and a 31-inch tiger musky were surveyed in the trap nets. Unfortunately, electroshock surveys showed the abundance of quality largemouth bass from declined from 1995 to 2008.
This past spring the Commission once again visited Raccoon Creek Lake and surveyed the fish population with trap nets and electroshock. Their findings were recently released and show a mixed bag.
Eight trap nets were fished and 13 species were captured with white crappie and bluegill comprising the majority. Although crappie were the most abundant fish, the size structure of their population was poor and the trap net catch rate of quality-sized crappie showed a decline from previous surveys. Over the years, bluegill and pumpkin seed populations, like crappie, have been abundant, but lacked size. The number of quality sized fish collected per hour dropped. The lack of quality-sized fish is due to slow growth and direct competition with gizzard shad for food resources is likely the main reason.
A total of seven walleye were collected from trap nets and night electrofishing. The largest walleye was 29 inches long and weighed 12 pounds.
The night electrofishing survey was to assess the largemouth bass population. A total of 98 bass were sampled with a catch rate of 76 total bass per hour. The total bass catch rate was lower than previous years but exceeded the statewide Big Bass Program guideline of 35 bass per hour and exceeded the guideline for size. The largest bass exceeded 20 inches.
Interestingly, the gizzard shad that were mentioned in this year’s report were not noted as a problem in 2008. Also, this year’s report notes the only stockings at the lake are trout in the spring and fall and walleye fingerlings every other year.
Mike Barcaskey can be reached at mikebarcaskey@outlook.com.
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November 29, 2019 at 04:05PM
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Survey of fish population at Raccoon Creek Lake shows mixed bag - The Times
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