Post by David Norris.—In my last blog I discussed the formation and negative effects of mudflats in reservoirs. So, what can anglers and managers do to combat these negative effects?

Perhaps the best way (from the fish’s point of view) is to occasionally keep the water level drawn down throughout the entire growing season. This allows local vegetation to grow in lush stands, which then provide excellent fish habitat once flooded. Unfortunately for many reservoirs this isn't as easy as it sounds. Often reservoirs refill on their own pace due to upstream rains, and in flood control reservoirs, where mudflat formation is most prominent, keeping the water level low may have serious, even fatal, consequences for downstream flood control. Since its rare to be able to do this, managers and anglers combat habitat loss by going out and putting their own hard structures on the mudflats during low water. These hard structures fall into two general categories, artificial and "natural".

Artificial structures can take on many forms. Typically made from PVC, corrugated tubing, old tires, or pallets, artificial structures can be customized for nearly any budget, and last a long time. Below are some common types of artificial structures easily built with readily available materials.

While these structures can be designed to fit almost any budget individually, making and placing enough of them to cover large areas of lake bottom can still add up to an expensive endeavor. Additionally, these structures tend to lack in variety of “gap sizes”. Having various gaps between each piece can help a wider range of fish. Too large of a gap leaves nowhere for baitfish to hide, and too small of a gap excludes our larger sportfish. The most effective structures will have a variety of gap sizes. The “natural” type of hard structure can address this gap size issue easily.

I call it "natural" hard structure because of the materials used to make it. These are brush piles, bamboo, or trees (seen below) that can be placed just like artificial structures. The most common form is used Christmas Trees, which can easily be collected, transported, and placed in winter when mudflats are commonly exposed. Piles of old branches or even large trees can also be used. Due to the "random" sizes and shapes branches grow in, using this kind of structure creates a wide variety of gap sizes. This makes brush piles and trees incredibly popular habitat for baitfish, and juvenile and adult sportfish.

Natural structures still have their downsides though. Like artificial ones, while individual brush piles can be cheap and easy, collecting and placing enough material to cover an expansive mudflat can become time consuming and expensive. And while natural structures tend to be cheaper and create much better gap sizes than artificial ones, they lack the permanence that artificial materials have.

While both these types of structures have been shown to be effective management tools, they’re both limited by cost when large areas are concerned. Here at Mississippi State we’re investigating at third option that could be used as an alternative or an augmentation for placing hard structure. Stay tuned to see what it is!