On a different note anybody do much pike fishing on the lake? Supposed to be pretty good.
Not sure for certain. Through talking to people, seems to be the consensus has been some combination of over harvesting of the large females, as well as the aggressive campaign by the SLA to control the weed population. The Milfoil x Zebra mussel combination really started choking the lake out weed wise a number of years ago. The zebra mussels improved water clarity, continued development around the lake increased the eutrophication of the lake, and then the milfoil exploded. That definitely helped the pike and bass populations as the weed base expanded tremendously across the lake. I dont know for certain, but if my memory is right, i know theyve done a few different chemical treatments to help control the milfoil as well as weed eaters every summer. That's helped keep the weeds at bay for recreation but definitely had a negative effect on the fishing. Some combination of the two would be my best bet for why the Toga Pike population took a dive. I tend to fish it often as its so close to my house, and have noticed a lot more pickerel being caught as compared to years past too. Not sure if anyone else seems to catch more slime darts now as oppose to years past.