Christmas trees can become fish cover in area’s two lakes

Christmas trees can be left at the side of any Army Corps of Engineers boat ramp on Norfork or Bull Shoals lake to be used as fish cover. Those leaving trees at the ramps should be careful not to block the ramp and parking areas.

All trees must be real, not artificial, and must be free of ornaments and tinsel to prevent harm to fish. The trees will then be available for anyone interested in using them to provide shelter for fish and to serve as attractors for recreational fishing.  Anyone wanting to use these trees is welcome to pick them up to sink as fish cover.  Any unclaimed trees will be sunk by Corps of Engineers personnel at a later date.

Also, the Corps of Engineers’ Mountain Home (Arkansas) Project Office is offering a limited number of fish cover permits for Bull Shoals Lake. Only 50 Bull Shoals permits will be issued on a first come, first served basis; they will be available beginning at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2018.  

A fish cover permit allows an individual to cut up to six cedar trees, six inches or smaller in diameter at the stump, from designated areas of the shoreline or pick up dead trees along the shore and sink them into the lake for fish habitat.

Many of the best fishing locations on Bull Shoals Lake are above brush piles that attract and shelter a variety of fish, Corps officials say.

Before an individual is allowed to cut or sink trees, he or she must obtain a free permit from the Corps of Engineers Project Office at 324 W. 7th Street in Mountain Home.

For more information, contact natural resource specialist Ty Fowler at 870-425-2700, ext. 1433.

Ozark County Times

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