Fishing Regulations Lifted on Colyer Lake

Fishing Regulations Lifted on Colyer Lake

 

HARRISBURG, Pa. (March 28) – The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) announced today that it has temporarily lifted all seasons, sizes and creel limits on Centre County’s Colyer Lake in anticipation of the lake being fully drained within the next several months.

 

“We have chosen to temporarily lift the regulations in order to reduce the number of fish in the lake in anticipation of a fish salvage prior to a complete drawdown of the lake,” said Dave Miko, chief of the PFBC Division of Fisheries Management. “We want anglers to fish the water and make good use of as many fish as they can.”

 

The temporary regulations take effect immediately and will remain in place until further notice by the PFBC.

 

The PFBC announced on March 21 that deficiencies in the lake’s dam prompted the agency to initiate plans to completely drain the reservoir until the dam can be rehabilitated to meet current engineering and safety standards.

 

“Commission engineers and the state Department of Environmental Protection routinely inspect the dam, and during a recent inspection in December we found that the existing undermining beneath the dam’s spillway has become more severe,” Andy Shiels, PFBC Deputy Director for Field Operations, said at that time. “We recognize that Colyer Lake is a popular fishing and boating location. However, concerns for the safety of the downstream residents and businesses necessitate this drawdown.”

 

The drawdown has begun and may take up to three months to complete. The lake will be drained at a rate of about two feet per week, depending on weather. 

 

PFBC biologists are currently developing a fish salvage plan to remove and relocate as many fish as possible.

 

The lake will remain open to public use until the water level reaches a point where it may be unsafe for anglers. At that point the lake will be closed and signs will be posting alerting anglers of the closing. The lake will be drawn down indefinitely until funding can be identified and secured to make the necessary repairs.

 

Colyer Lake is a 77-acre reservoir located in Potter Township in Centre County. It is owned by the Commonwealth and managed by the PFBC. It has been partially drawn down by approximately 10 feet since 2003.