Canonsburg Lake Washington County

Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission Biologist Report Canonsburg Lake Washington County April and May 2012 Trap Net and Electrofishing Survey Canonsburg Lake is a 76 acre impoundment located in Washington County on Little Chartiers Creek in Canonsburg, PA. The impoundment is operated by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) as a recreational fishing destination. Boats are restricted to electric motors only. The lake is bisected by McDowell Lane into two portions. The upper portion of Canonsburg Lake is shallow and silted whereas the lower portion (closer to the dam) is relatively free of silt and contains much deeper water. The major habitat features are submerged stumps, logs and seasonal vegetation. The reservoir has moderate turbidity and is highly productive (alkalinity 164 parts per million in 2012). Currently Canonsburg is managed with conventional regulations for all warmwater fish species. The PFBC currently stocks Canonsburg Lake with rainbow trout once preseason, twice inseason, once in the fall, and again in late winter. Canonsburg Lake is contained in our Early Season Stocked Trout Waters program. Canonsburg Lake is also stocked annually with fingerling channel catfish. -Fisheries Biologist Robert Ventorini with a nice channel catfish. The primary purpose of our 2012 surveys was to measure relative abundance, size structure, and quality of the lake’s resident gamefish and panfish populations. These data will be used to update the fishery management plan for the lake. Table 1 below summarizes the catch data from our 2012 trap net survey. Table 1. 2012 Survey Gear: 6 Trap Net Sets Fish Species Number Size (Inches) Comments Black Crappie 30 3 - 10 3% > 9 inches White Crappie 347 2 - 11 1% > 9 inches Bluegill 70 2 - 6 - Pumpkinseed 16 2 - 5 - Largemouth Bass 4 5 - 14 - Channel Catfish 9 5 - 24 - 59% Quality Size Fish Brown Bullhead 17 4 - 12 over 10 inches Hatchery Rainbow Trout 4 Not Measured - Gizzard Shad 844 Not Measured - White Sucker 1 Not Measured - Common Carp 13 Not Measured - Golden Shiner 3 Not Measured - Crappie and sunfish (bluegill and pumpkinseed) catch rates were similar to 2000 with few fish reaching quality size. Competition with gizzard shad is affecting the abundance and growth of crappie and sunfish. Figure 1. Sunfish (bluegill and pumpkinseed) captured in Trap Nets at Canonsburg Lake. Figure 2. Crappie Captured in Trap Nets at Canonsburg Lake. Figure 3. Bullheads Captured in Trap Nets at Canonsburg Lake. In the nighttime electrofishing survey we found that the number and size structure of largemouth was consistent with the last survey. Table 2 below summarizes the catch data from our 2012 nighttime electrofishing survey. Figure 4 shows catch rates for largemouth bass. In 2012 our total catch was 93 fish. Table 2. 2012 Survey Gear: 3 Nighttime Boat Electrofishing Runs. Fish Species Number Size (Inches) Comments 69% over 12 inches Largemouth Bass 93 4 - 19 26% over 15 inches Figure 4. Largemouth Bass Collected during Nighttime Electrofishing at Canonsburg Lake. In 2012 all Big Bass Program guidelines were exceeded at Canonsburg Lake. The largemouth bass catch rate was 116 fish per hour (state guideline = 35 per hour), bass over 12 inches were caught at a rate of 80 fish per hour (state guideline = 7 per hour) and bass over 15 inches at a rate of 30 fish per hour (state guideline = 2 per hour). -Fisheries Biologist Mike Depew with two nice largemouth bass. Fishing opportunities at Canonsburg Lake are excellent for largemouth bass and channel catfish during the warmer months. In the winter, fall, and spring our trout stocking program provides excellent trout fishing opportunities. We will be returning to Canonsburg Lake in the late summer or early fall to set hoop nets. We will be targeting the channel catfish population so that we can gauge the success of the stocking program. -Joseph Cocco and Mike Depew Area 8 Fisheries Biologist Aide and Fisheries Biologist .

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