Shawnee

Made a few casts for crappie using mister twisters but no hits. Did see one dead pike or muskie that would have been in the 40 inch range based on the size of the head. That was about all that was left. Also saw a few dead shad/alwives or whatever.

Saw no one else fishing.

I remember what that place was like back in the 80's, 90's, and early 00's. Now it's flat out depressing to even ride by it and look at it.

Starting back in the mid 80's they were obsessed with killing off the weeds instead of trying to control them. Isn't it ironic that weed growth is the absolute number 1 thing that lake really needs now, well that and some people really dedicated to fixing it.

There were always pike in the lake, but they really took off around 99-2000. It was hard not to catch them fishing almost anywhere in the lake. Now they are very few and far between probably less than before '99 and getting less every year with the water conditions like all the other fish. 

Does anyone realy know what happened to this lake? Does anyone know if the fish comm. or DCNR is doing anything about it?

They hired a company to do an assesment to come up with possible solutions. http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/parks/shawnee/shawnee_lakereport2009.pdf We shall see what happens. Its a great place and once the water is fixed will be very desireable to fish again.

If it is nitrogen that is killing this lake I would hope that someone is trying to find out where it is coming from. If the source is I.D. can they be held responsible for the damage to the lake? Does anyone know who is working on this if anyone, you know with the PFBC needing money and DCNR being short change in the PA. Budget is it likely that no one is working on it.

Shawnee is a shadow of what it used to be. Unfortunately, the DCNR reacted to those that screamed the loudest & they weren't the fishermen. The recreational boater & "angler" squawked long and hard about getting from point A to point B without having to clean weeds off their props or paddles. The PA Fish & Boat comm recommended, if it was to be drawn down, a 4' drawdown every third year might work to "freeze" the shallow weed roots & retard their growth. This was working fine with minimal growth the year after the drawdown, and increasing the following two years until it became weed choked the third (which wasn't a bad thing). After many cycles, DCNR, because some other local DCNR lakes were on a drawdown cycle, decided to go to a two year drawdown. This two year cycle lasted three times (six years). This coincided with the collapse of shallow weed growth, discolored waters, & spiraled into what we have now. Some chemical treatment was done, but this was pretty much contained to specific areas (beach & some others) & the effect was minimal. The drawdowns occured before & after the major drawdown. I've no idea if this helped to elevate the nitrogen levels, but thats kinda the history of what led up to the decline. As far as I know, there was no dredging anywhere in the lake - that is extremely expensive. They didn't even dredge the year of the major drawdown. They did extensive dam work & moved some rubble & concrete around, but did not dredge. The Pike explosion of the late 1990's early 2000's was due to the aftermath of the major drawdown - the habitat was perfect for Pike growth, as the upper end of the lake became a grass field, providing perfect conditions for young of the year Pike. The local bait shops claim that the lake "seemed" a bit clearer (& I use that word gingerly) last year, but it hasn't been significant. Unfortunately, it'll probably have to run its course, however long that might be. From what the bait shops now stock, carp fishermen are doing well, & though I don't wish to demean them, or their fish, (It wasn't really bad for carp then, either)I think the vast majority of us would welcome a return to "the good ole days". One good thing is that if you fish the place, you pretty much have it to yourself...